Slayers Expecting
by QueenHimiko
Summary: Lina and Gourry have settled down, and now must contend with the challenges of pregnancy. Trad pairings. Frank depictions of pregnancy and birth. If you are squicked by birth, do not read! Minor cussing.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I do not own Slayers, I am just venting my frustrations through the characters.

Something didn't add up. Lina had clocked her cycles since she started having them and knew when to expect 'that time of the month.' Considering that her livelihood, her work and sometimes staying alive depended on it she was rather good at tracking them. Fortunately they never wavered in their regularity. She was on a perfect 28 day cycle. So why was there no blood? And why could she still not use her powers?

Hope tinged with disbelief flooded through her. Could she be pregnant? Finally? After two years of trying with nothing to show for it? Lina walked through the house she owned with Gourry in Zefiel City and found a window to stare out at. She had started to think that one of them was infertile, but she hadn't wanted to see a healer about it. She was, after all, Lina Gabriev, the Beautiful Sorcery Genius who had slew the Dark Lords Shabranigdo and Phibrizzo and many others. How could it be that someone who had all that power and performed feats that ordinary people could not even dream of could not accomplish something that those ordinary folks achieved so easily?

She wanted a baby so badly. But she was scared that it would turn out to be a false alarm. May be she had miscounted the days. She ran to her calendar and recounted from the day of the last red circle. There was no doubt about it. Aunt Flo should have been an unwelcome house guest by now. But what if she had marked the wrong day?

There was only one way to be sure. Lina ran to the basement where she performed her experiments and kept her magic supplies. She raided the cabinet over her work bench and finally found a bottle of clear, viscous fluid. She poured some into a cup and charged back up the stairs with it. She entered the bedroom, pulled the chamber pot out from under the bed and took down her pants. Peeing in a cup was always so awkward. The deed done, Lina set the cup on the window sill and then wandered out into the living room, glancing at the clock as she did. She spent a nervous five minutes pacing, and then went back into the bathroom to check on the fluid.

Lina let out a holler of joy. It was a vivid shade of blue. She was having a baby!

...

Lina walked excitedly through the streets of Zefiel City to the sparring field where Gourry taught swordplay. When she was thirty, she decided she had finally quenched her thirst for travel and adventure and had accepted Gourry's offer to marry him and settle down. She continued her research, Gourry taught, and they had dinner with her folks one night a week. Yet Lina soon found that the wanderlust was not completely quenched, so after six months of married life they traveled to Seyruun to visit Zel, Amelia and Sylphiel. They ended up staying there another six months, establishing a separate household and jobs protecting the royal family there as well. And so it continued. For six months out of the year they stayed in Zefilia. For the rest, Seyruun. It was an arrangement that suited them well, and they were very happy with each other.

The only thing that was missing was a baby.

The sparring fields came into view and Lina could just barely discern Gourry there. It was hard to miss him, considering how tall he was. "Gourry!" she yelled as she broke out into a run. "Gourry!"

Over at the fields, Gourry's sensitive hearing could just make out Lina screaming his name. He turned towards the direction of the sound, scared that something was wrong. He could see Lina running towards him. "Keep on doing those drills." Gourry said, before running out to meet her.

Relief flooded through him as she came more clearly into view and he saw that she was smiling and waving excitedly. Then suddenly she threw herself against him with abandon, hugging him tightly. "We did it!" she yelled, "We're going to have a baby!"

Gourry couldn't believe his ears. After so long…He gripped her tightly, laughing happily as he did so. When he finally set her down, he looked deeply into her eyes and asked, "So, how long until you start growing some boobs?"

Lina smacked him upside the head.

...

Something unprecedented was occurring in Zefilia. Something that alarmed Gourry and caused him to hover over Lina like a worried mother hen. Lina had stopped eating.

Things had been going well. They had been excited about the pregnancy, though they kept the news to themselves. They wanted to keep it under wraps that she was vulnerable for as long as possible. Even though she had retired from the road, there were still plenty of people who wanted her dead.

Aside from some breast tenderness and fatigue Lina had seemed to escape from the legendary morning sickness that plagued most women. That was until three weeks after she found out she was pregnant. She woke up, got out of bed, and found herself grabbing the chamber pot to vomit.

And it got worse. "When I get my powers back, I'm going to Fireball whoever named this 'morning sickness!'" Lina spat as she lay on her stomach in bed, pushing away the tray of food that Gourry had offered. "I mean, really, it's eight o'clock in the evening! Why am I still throwing up?"

"I think I should get a healer." Gourry stated, hoping that she would finally agree.

She was not so obliging. "No, I don't want a healer, what's a healer going to do anyway?"

Gourry grabbed the damp rag he had laid on her neck earlier and dipped it in cold water, squeezing it out before placing it back on her neck. "But what if something's wrong? You're not eating and you're throwing up, that's not normal, is it?"

"Sylphiel said she threw up at all times of the day when she was expecting her kids. Remember when she was pregnant with Maria at Ceipheed's Festival?"

Gourry thought for a moment. "No."

Lina sighed. If she wasn't feeling so crappy she would have hit him. "She spent the whole festival puking her guts out in the outhouse while we took Eruk and my namesake to the games and shows."

A light bulb seemed to go off in his head, "Oh! I wondered where she had wandered off to!"

Lina groaned, and not because of Gourry's denseness. A fresh wave of nausea had reared its ugly head. Gourry placed a hand on her back, frowning. "May be I should get your mother."

Lina was so miserable that she was almost ready to acquiesce. Almost. "Don't. If she knows she'll tell everyone, and then some Mazoku or bandit gang seeking vengeance might take it in his head to attack. We have to keep this a secret until I'm fourteen weeks along and get my powers back."

Gourry wasn't happy about it but he decided that now was not the time to challenge her. "Hey Lina, why do pregnant woman lose their powers and then get them back?"

"That's a very good question, Gourry, and when someone finds out I will tell you." Lina moaned again and Gourry started to rub her ears. To Lina's surprise it worked a little.

"Hand me that tray, I'm going to try to eat something."

Gourry smiled, "You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that." He said as he did as asked.

Lina tore into her food with her usual gusto and Gourry watched quietly. He hated seeing her like this. She was usually so energetic and healthy that she seemed unstoppable. It had been part of what had drawn him to her. But now she was tired and sick all of the time, and even though she had wanted a baby as much as he did, he couldn't help but feel guilty as he watched her suffer. Especially as he got off scot free.

And then there was the part of him that was a little resentful, which he hated himself for. The baby wasn't even here yet, and already she or he had gotten in the way of one of his favorite pastimes with Lina: fighting over food. Some couples danced, others built stuff together, Lina and Gourry fought over food. And now Lina could barely stomach it. Eating was such a lonely affair for him now that he wondered how he used to get through meals before he had met Lina. Stealing the last drumstick just wasn't the same when Lina didn't want it in the first place.

His thoughts were interrupted when Lina abruptly pushed the tray away from her and darted off the bed and grabbed the chamber pot, sticking her head into it. Seconds later Gourry could hear her retching. He sighed and started to pick up the remnants of what should have been her dinner.

...

Lina was sobbing uncontrollably. She had had a very rough day. The vomiting was getting worse and she was having a hard time even keeping water down. She was also exhausted. It started the night before when the nausea became so bad that it actually woke her up and caused her to grab the chamber pot. She spent several hours on the couch afterwards so that she would not disturb Gourry with a bucket close to her head. Too miserable to do anything including sleep she laid there as waves of nausea assaulted her. And in the throes of irrationality that accompany such times, she wondered what she ever did to make her unborn child hate her to much as to cause her such suffering.

She had finally been able to doze off a little when morning came and Gourry had to get up and get ready for work. He knew that she had had a rough night and dressed as quietly as he could before setting out to the kitchen to make breakfast, stopping to kiss his wife on the forehead as he crossed the living room.

"I wish you hadn't done that." She mumbled.

"Damn Lina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't worry about it. I like seeing you before you leave for the day anyway."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Get me some toast and water?"

He patted her on the shoulder and set off to the kitchen. He returned promptly with her meager breakfast and she sat up to give it a good try. He returned to prepare his own food. His eyes narrowed as he heard the sound of retching noises coming from the living room.

He ate hurriedly, and when he finished and went back to the living room she was back to sitting on the couch, glass of water in hand, looking pale and lifeless. "Do you want me to stay home today? I hate to leave you alone like this."

Lina waved her hand dismissively. "I'll be fine. I hope to be sleeping all day so there really won't be much to do until you get back. Just remember tonight is when we eat with my folks."

Gourry continued to stare at her. He wished she would see a healer. This couldn't be normal. And as things were going, he was debating the costs versus benefits of summoning one without her permission and dealing with her wrath later. Though in her current condition, she wasn't very threatening.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind then had Lina set the water glass firmly on the table and grit her teeth, "Look, plenty of women go through this. Somehow Naga, sorry _Gracia_ managed to get through her pregnancies without it, but she's the exception. And if you think what I'm going through is bad, you should hear the horror stories Mom tells about when she was expecting Luna. And if you bring home a healer I'll be kicking both of you out for the night! Now I love you, but go away already, I want to go to sleep."

Gourry smiled a little. That was the Lina he knew. He kissed her on the forehead and headed out. Lina breathed a sigh of relief. She loved him, but hated being hovered over when she was so sick. That, and she didn't want people poking around their cabin if he didn't show up for work wondering what was wrong. And fortunately at Zefilia at least Lina did her research in private so no one would notice if she wasn't working. She was so sick she hadn't been able to look at it all week.

Bracing herself against the nausea she knew would accompany standing up, she slowly moved off the couch. She closed her eyes for a minute, hopeful that she wouldn't throw up again. She took it as a sign that her luck was turning when she didn't, and she made it to the bedroom.

She tossed and turned for awhile, frustrated about how she could be so tired yet unable to fall asleep. Finally it claimed her. But just as it did, a thunking sound from the outside facing wall of her bedroom woke her. "What the hell…" she muttered as she got up. Unfortunately, she had moved too quickly and the nausea besieged her, causing her to fall back on the bed.

The thumping sound continued as she spent a few moments trying to hold down what little was left in her stomach. Once the spell had passed, she cautiously lifted herself from the bed. Growling to herself, she opened the window to yell at some kids playing dodgeball, "Hey you! Don't you know it's a school day? What the hell do you think you are doing here playing?"

The kids stiffened nervously at her voice. Lina was known as someone not to cross. "Sorry, miss, but our teacher got sick and school was canceled."

Lina's face turned puce with anger. "Well find somewhere else to play!"

They didn't have to be told twice. Fortunately they ran so fast that they didn't notice that she was now retching onto the lawn outside her window. After washing her face, she once again got into bed, determined that this time she would finally get some uninterrupted sleep. If only it would claim her. Once if finally did, a persistent knock on the door woke her. Lina felt like crying. Without bothering to make the trip to the front of the house she yelled, "Whoever it is better get the hell away from here before I get up and Fireball you to a crisp! And that's what you get for disturbing my beauty sleep!"

Whoever was at the door wisely decided to leave. Unfortunately, as Lina found out, sleep was not in the cards that day. There was a distinct pattern of her finding sleep and being awoken by some random happenstance, including a cat fight, the mail carrier knocking on the door to deliver a package, another wave of nauseous vomiting, and the final kicker, a parade.

Yes, of all days to have a parade, it had to be the one that was the most inconvenient. Lina decided it was probably a good thing that she couldn't access her powers because she was liable to kill everyone in the damn procession with a super hot, amplified Fireball.

Which was how Gourry came home to find her curled up in bed with tears streaming down her face as the parade marched outside the window. It was not a reassuring sight. He could count on one hand the number of times when he saw Lina really cry. Steeling himself, he walked over to the bed and held her, softly asking her what was wrong.

Lina wondered what wasn't wrong. She was tired and thirsty and hormonal and couldn't stop throwing up for the life of her. And it was the night that she and Gourry were supposed to meet her parents for dinner. That was the breaking point. There was no way she could hide her condition from her folks when she was like this. Gourry held her tightly as she buried her face in his chest, sobs wracking her body relentlessly. She was never like this usually and he was at a loss as to what to do.

"…They're going to find out! There's no way I can keep this from them! They're going to find out and tell everyone and then I'll be attacked…"

Gourry rubbed her back as she went on and on. It concerned him that she was suddenly so paranoid. It wasn't like her to be so. She was usually so carefree. But then, he realized, she'd never gone so long without using her magic before. "It's scary being without your powers for so long, isn't it?"

Lina looked up to face him, "What do you think? Of course it's scary! I'm good with a sword but that won't help me against a Mazoku or even a lesser demon for that matter. I don't want to die! Why did we do this? What were we thinking? We had two years to change our minds, why didn't we take a hint…"

He kissed her, ignoring the unpleasant taste of vomit that remained in her mouth. For awhile she was too stunned to do anything, but then she returned the kiss fervently, as though her life depended on it. When they finally pulled away Gourry looked down and brushed the tears from her face. "We're almost at the fourteen week mark, aren't we? You're what, eight weeks? So we're more than half way there."

Lina took a deep breath and calmed down a little, "Well, when you put it like that."

"Besides, I am your protector." He added as he cupped her cheek, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you or our baby."

_Man, Gourry…it's just that I'm not used to needing protection._ she thought to herself. Nevermind the fact that even with the Blast Sword, she was still more powerful than him…when she could use her powers anyway. The Blast Sword simply wouldn't cut it against a high ranking Mazoku. Outwardly she smiled.

"We don't have to go to your folks. I can run over there quickly and tell them you're not feeling well."

Lina shook her head. "Mom would get worried and want to come over to nurse me and she'd figure it out."

"Well, then I can tell them I'm sick."

"Nah, Mom likes you more than she likes me."

Gourry opened his mouth to retort, but Lina sighed, "We'll just have to be careful. If I concentrate really hard, I will not throw up while we're there. I defeated Shabranidgo, twice. I defeated Phibrizzo, and Zannafar. I can go through an evening without throwing up."

Gourry smiled in relief. Now she was sounding more like Lina, the woman who kept her cool no matter what. Unless slugs were thrown into the picture.

...

Unfortunately for Lina, her parents were making steak. Usually Lina loved steak. Now the smell of dead cow sent her running to the chamber pot, no ifs ands or buts. So as soon as she opened the backdoor to her parents' abode and the smell of cooking meat reached her nostrils, she turned around and ran to the bushes, her newfound resolve vanishing as quickly as the contents of her stomach.

Lina's father and sister, who were seated in the living room, watched her almost entrance with bemused curiosity. "What's with her?" Luna asked.

Fortunately Gourry had planned ahead for just such a contingency. "Food poisoning. She ate some bad shrimp earlier."

"Where did she get it from? She'd better lodge a complaint and get a refund, and a little extra for her trouble." Mr. Inverse said.

Gourry's mouth hung open. He hadn't thought of a place where Lina could have gotten the shrimp beforehand, and he'd hate to implicate some innocent fishmonger.

"What's going on?" Mrs. Inverse said as she emerged from the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron, "Is Lina okay?"

"Gourry says she has food poisoning." Luna explained as Lina entered the house, looking pale and miserable.

"That's right, Sis, food poisoning. I ate some bad clams."

"Gourry said it was shrimp." Mr. Inverse countered.

"This from the man who can't remember his middle name? Of course he would think it was shrimp." Lina replied irritably as she sat on the chair beside her father.

Mrs. Inverse clasped her hands around her mouth, "You're pregnant!"

"What?" Lina exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch, "Where would you get a silly idea like that? I'm not pregnant."

She was not very convincing.

"Her boobs are bigger." Luna crassly pointed out.

"What! No they're not!" Lina cried as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Luna's right, they're bigger. You've actually got cleavage now." Mrs. Inverse said, her voice rising in pitch as though she had just won the lottery.

Lina turned bright red, "You're imagining things! They're not bigger! They've always been this way."

"No, they've always been flat." Luna countered with a smirk. "Now there's something there."

"Put your arms down, if there's nothing different it will have been our mistake." Mrs. Inverse challenged.

Lina balked, "I don't want all of you staring at my chest."

"Okay you two, you've had your fun, leave her alone." Mr. Inverse butted in.

Lina sighed in relief, but didn't relax her arms. "Thanks, Daddy."

Gourry decided to continue with the diversion. "So what's cooking? It smells good!"

"Steak and baked potatoes." Mrs. Inverse said as she turned to glare at her husband and Luna, "Honey, you said you'd set the table. It's not set. Fix it. Now! Get to it! Luna, help with the potatoes. Lina, Gourry start getting everyones' drinks."

Everyone scrambled up out of their seats. Getting on Mrs. Inverse's bad side was not considered a good idea. Lina lowered her arms as she stood up. Mrs. Inverse's eyes widened as she stared at her younger daughter's chest, "They are bigger! Honey, look! They're huge."

"Huge for Lina at least." Luna commented dryly, "She's still got nothing on me."

The color once again consumed her face. "What are you talking about? They're little! Little! I'm as flat as a washboard…" she stopped her diatribe when she realized that everyone, Gourry included, was staring at her in disbelief. Was she, who had always tried to emphasize her breast size, actually proclaiming loud and clearly that they were small? "Shit!"

Mrs. Inverse burst into tears. "I'm going to be a grandma!"

Lina and Gourry exchanged an awkward glance across the room. Lina sighed, "Fine, yes you are, but you can't go around telling people until I get my powers back again, okay?"

...

By noon the next day, everyone who frequented her parents' store knew she was expecting. By that evening, it seemed as though the whole town knew. "This is your idea of not telling anyone?" Lina groused as she finished receiving another townsperson offering their congratulations the day after.

Her mother shrugged as she handed Lina another cup of hot ginger tea. "Do you know long I've waited for one of you girls to settle down and give me grandchildren? I'd given up on Luna eons ago. You have no idea how happy I was when you showed up after being gone for nearly twenty years with Gourry in tow. Though he took his sweet time getting you knocked out…"

Lina spat out her tea, "Mom!"

"What? It's true."

Lina sighed as grabbed a rag and mopped herself up, "All of that is beside the point. I told you about the monsters I've faced, right? And I've told you about Xellos. And Beastmaster and Deep Sea Dolphin are still out there. I have many very powerful enemies out there…"

"Which is why I'm taking time off from the store to stay with you while Gourry is away. I've cast a spell or two in my day."

Lina clenched her teeth as her temples began to throb, "No offense, but your level of magic isn't cut out for the demons I've faced."

Mrs. Inverse flushed, "Well, do you want me to get Luna to babysit you until you get your powers back?"

Lina turned blue as an image of Luna ordering her to exercise for the good of the baby even though she felt too sick to do so came to mind, "Hey! No need to get drastic here!"

Her mother nodded in satisfaction, "I thought so."

Lina decided to drop the matter as she took another sip of her tea. What was done was done, and berating her mother wasn't getting her anywhere. Besides, telling her mother had introduced her to the wonderful benefits of ginger and its way of fighting the nausea and vomiting that accompanied morning sickness.

Sure she was still miserable, and sure she still felt as though she had a bad stomach bug, but she could keep food and water down if she ate in small increments now, and she was definitely feeling better. She had even been able to go through her research notes again and actually had a decent start on the paper she was writing.

The door swung open, and Gourry stepped in. "Hey!" he called by way of greeting as he walked over to Lina to give her a peck on the lips. "Been feeling better today?"

"Yup! I only threw up four times today."

"Of all of your achievements, this is what I'm most proud of." Mrs. Inverse said as she gathered her stuff, "I must get back to the store. Your father has a bad habit of letting customers haggle him down too much and we lose money whenever I'm not there to keep an eye on it."

"Bye." Lina said. Unspoken in that goodbye was, "please go."

Gourry pulled up a chair beside Lina and waited till her mother was one before asking, "Rough day?"

Lina pushed aside her research, took off her glasses and stretched. Gourry couldn't help but appreciate his wife's new assists as she did. While her mother and sister had been crass in pointing out her increased bust size, he couldn't argue with them that they were right. "She's been driving me crazy with advice. And she wants us to settle down here year round now that we're expecting."

Gourry tore his eyes from Lina's chest to look her in the eyes, "Did you tell her?"

"What do you think I am, crazy?" Lina shouted, and then calmed down, "Of course I didn't tell her. She would flip! We'd never here the end of it!"

Lina then proceeded to do an imitation of her mother. Considering they looked and sounded alike, it wasn't too difficult. "What do you mean you want to have my first grandchild in Seyruun? Your father and I can't afford to close the store down to visit you there when the baby comes! Don't you know how long I've been wanting this? Why can't someone here deliver your baby?"

Gourry frowned, "So are you still wanting to go to Seyruun?"

"Yes, Gourry, of course. I'm just not telling my folks until absolutely necessary."

Gourry thought for a moment before he said, "But you've been so sick. Will you be up to it?"

"We won't leave until I'm five months." Lina explained, "By then I'll be in the second trimester, and I should be feeling pretty good. We'll be fine. Oh gosh…"

Gourry's eyes widened, "Are you okay?"

Lina nodded, "Just got a little nauseous there. It's gone now." She looked at him and smiled, "So how was your day?"

It was one of the hardest things that they had to get used to in life in Zefilia: spending most of the day away from each other. After years of traveling constantly in each others' presence they were used to spending nearly every waking moment of the day with each other. While at first it was nice to have some distance, it usually started to wear thin about two months into their rotation in Zefilia.

Before Lina got pregnant she usually would have packed a big picnic lunch to eat with him on the fields, and occasionally if Gourry had a student who also had an aptitude for magic he would invite Lina to give him or her some extra lessons on using swordplay and magic together, but now she just wasn't up to it. And they missed the closeness that came with sharing their days together. Which was part of why going to Seyruun was a welcome respite. Not only were they together again, but they were actually working together to protect the royal family, even if things had been fairly quiet since King Phil had ascended to the throne eight years ago.

There had been some minor incidents. A few attempted burglaries and a few veiled assassination threats. The most serious was when some third rate wizard with delusions of grandeur decided to make an attempt on Gracia's firstborn son's life. But other than that, life at the royal palace was quiet and comfortable.

Gourry talked about his day a little, though as usual he didn't have too much to say. Some kids wanted lessons, so he gave them. It was really that simple. And while he could go in detail about the strengths and weaknesses of each student, Lina usually wasn't interested. "I'll get washed up and get started on dinner." He said when he finished.

"Okay, I'm going to finish up a letter to Amelia and Zel. Is there anything you want to add?"

"Have you told them?"

"No, I want to surprise them when we get to Seyruun."

"Just tell them that I said 'hi.'"

Lina nodded. There was nothing new there. Even back in the days when they traveled constantly and Lina sent out letters to her friends and family, Gourry sent none and really had nothing to add to hers. She had put it down to him being a man (Zel was never good at writing either), but eventually she had found it strange that he never even sent a simple letter home to his folks letting them know he was all right. She had asked him about it years ago when they had first met. He replied that he didn't remember where they were.

At first, she had bought it. But then as she got to know him she wondered if some of his denseness was deliberate to prevent inquiries into his past. But then what could someone as trustworthy as Gourry be hiding?

Through the years she had gotten bits and pieces of it. It definitely wasn't his favorite topic of discussion. She had been shocked when she learned that he had stolen the Sword of Light, but wasn't too surprised when she found it was because his family was feuding over it and he did it in an attempt to save them. She had the impression that a lot of his folks were killed in the fight, but that was it. She bit her lip, wondering if she should even ask what she was about to.

"Hey Gourry." She said tensely.

He stopped on the way to the sink, and turned to look at her, "Hm?"

"Is there anyone in your family we should write about this?" She felt stupid as soon as she said it. She had asked a similar question when they were planning their wedding and she had wanted to invite some members of his family. He had said then that there was no one to invite. They hadn't even bothered separating the seats into bride's side and groom's side because of it. Sure enough, no Gabrievs other than Gourry were there.

She quickly tried to recover, "I mean, even if things are rough, you'd think that good news like this would mend things. And it doesn't seem fair that my parents will see the kid a lot and yours won't…"

"My parents are dead." Gourry said simply, "And what family I have left doesn't want to hear from me again. I stole the Sword of Light, and I accept responsibility for that. And now because of my actions the sword is no longer in this world. I knew when I left Elmekia that I would never be able to return, and I'm at peace with that."

He walked back over to the table and knelt down so that their faces were level, "You're my family now. And we're having a baby. I'm happy with that. If you want to stay here year round with your family and the baby, I'm fine with that. Or if you want to stay in Seyruun all of the time, I'm fine with that too. Or if you find somewhere else entirely, it doesn't matter to me, because I'll be with you. That's what matters. So stop worrying about telling my family, because the only family I have that matters is here."

He grasped her shoulders lightly as he finished speaking, looking deeply in her eyes, willing her to understand. Lina's mouth worked quietly for a few minutes as she struggled for something to say. Every now and then she felt overpowered by the depth of the feelings he professed for her. This was one of those times. Eventually Gourry got up and headed back towards the kitchen. Finally Lina spoke, "I'll just tell Amelia that you said 'hi.'"

...

Gourry walked through their small house in his usual quiet manner. The front door opened to a small living room with a sofa, a recliner, and a coffee table. Towards to back of the house and off to the right was the dining room, with the tiny kitchen at the front of the house. To the left was their bedroom. The entrance to the basement was a hidden door beside the bedroom. Gourry wasn't sure how Lina had done it, she'd explained it all once but it was beyond his comprehension to figure out. He only knew that it was there and how to open it.

He opened it and navigated to twists and turns that Lina had built into it. It had been where they had spent the bulk of the money they had raised while raiding bandits. While Lina would have preferred to have a slightly bigger house with more lavish furnishings, building a nice area to conduct research was her top priority. Though now they would have to find some funds to build a nursery, but Gourry decided to leave Lina to that. She was the one with the brains for finances.

He finally reached her lab and looked around, checking every corner and dark area to make sure that there were no intruders. And there were plenty of places to check. At the front of her lab was her workbench and supplies, but the bulk of it was shelves upon shelves of books. Some were the journals she herself had kept since she was a child who first studied magic. Most were rare volumes she had found on her travels. Lina often mused that she could sell them to the sorcerer's guild for some major cash, but somehow she never got around to doing so.

When he was satisfied that there was no one there but him he went back up and did one final sweep of the house. He wasn't usually so thorough, but they still had two weeks left before Lina could use her magic and he didn't want to take any chances. Content with the knowledge that the only people in the house were Lina and himself, he walked into their bedroom and prepared for bed.

Lina was already in bed, laying on her right side facing the window. "Find anyone?" she asked.

Gourry froze. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I guess I napped too long earlier. I'm having a hard time sleeping now."

Something flickered within him, but he tried to brush the feeling aside. It was hard, though. To put it simply, Lina was getting more beautiful by the day it seemed. Her breasts were bigger, her skin glowed, and her hair was getting thicker. Yet she had been so sick and tired that all he'd been able to do since the morning sickness started was look and not touch. In short, he hadn't felt this sexually frustrated in years. He felt like he did when he had first started traveling with Lina, knowing he was head over heels in love with her but waiting for her to catch on, waiting for her to be ready…

May be tonight might be a good night?

Gourry got in bed beside her, curling up to her so that they were spooning. He lifted his head to nuzzle at her ear while one hand reached around to gently squeeze her breast and…

"Ouch, Gourry, that HURTS!" Lina screeched as she batted his hand away.

Gourry froze. What had he done wrong? "What hurts?"

"My breasts! Don't you know anything?" She shouted as she sat up and turned to face him, "They're so sore right now that even my shirt rubbing against them hurts!"

"Oh," Gourry said, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice. "But why?"

"Because I'm pregnant, you idiot! When women get pregnant their breasts start to hurt! Now do you have any more stupid questions?"

"So you finally grow breasts, but I can't touch them…" Gourry stopped when he realized he was speaking out loud.

Next thing he knew, he was on the floor beside the bed, making a mental note that he would forget as soon as he woke up to pick his wife up some flowers on his way home from work. Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time she'd kicked him off the bed and he'd spent the night on the floor.

AN: **If you made it this far, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! My reasoning behind Lina being able to get her powers back after the first trimester is that is also when the placenta fully forms and takes some of the work load off of the mother and unto itself. But I'm not sure how well they would understand those matters in the Slayers verse and decided to leave it a mystery for them. Also, my morning sickness was not as bad as Lina's, thankfully. I put her through hell so I could say to myself at least I'm not going through what she is. Sadistic, but I felt bad when I was putting her through all that.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Obligatory disclaimer. I do not own Slayers.**

Lina bent over to reach a book on the lower shelf, only to stand up straight as she felt an unusual hardness in her lower abdomen. She bent over more slowly. Sure enough it was still there, pressing uncomfortably onto her bladder. Straightening once more she put a hand to her stomach. She gingerly pressed down. It was unusually hard. Was that the baby?

Excitement flooded through her. It was the first solid proof that there really was a little being within her. Until now her pregnancy had felt like a rather bad stomach flu and it was hard to believe its existence. But now she could feel a firmness there where there once had been nothing. She really was having a baby!

Fear followed swiftly on excitement's heels. Had she squished the baby by bending over so carelessly? She pushed the thought from her mind. This child was hers and Gourrys'. Surely it would be strong enough to withstand a little pressure. Still, to be safe Lina bent at the knees instead of at the waist to pick up the book.

She took the book back with her to the desk and sat down to take notes, stopping occasionally to feel her swelling belly. A few days ago she had finally taken her mother up on her offer to go shopping for maternity clothes. While she wasn't showing, her clothes were definitely getting tighter. That, and the pressure on her stomach from trousers that were too tight was unbearable.

Unfortunately most maternity clothing consisted of dresses. Which was fine around the house, but she planned to be traveling soon. She did find some draw string pants. Unfortunately, her buying them only raised her mother's suspicions about Lina's traveling plans.

Shortly before noon she closed her book and walked up the stairs to prepare lunch, the sounds of construction becoming clearer as she did. Sure enough Gourry and several of his students were hard at work building the nursery. She stopped by the empty doorframe on her way to the kitchen and peered inside. "How's it going?"

"Hey Lina!" Gourry said brightly as two men and one woman stopped briefly to wave. "We should finish by sunset."

Lina scanned the room. At least now it looked like a room. A few days ago there had been nothing. Then a frame seemed to arise one day from nowhere. Now there were oak walls, a floor that wasn't dirt, and a roof. It looked as though the group was currently installing some windows. Lina honestly didn't think that there was enough to keep them occupied until sunset but nodded anyway. "It looks good. I'm going to fix us some sandwiches."

…..

The last remnants of morning sickness faded into a bad memory. Lina's powers returned and her stomach swelled. They worked swiftly to prepare the nursery so that way when they returned to Zefiel City from Seyruun it would be ready. If Lina's father and sister were suspicious as to their haste to have it ready, they said nothing. Her mother was a different story.

"Mom was in full battle mode today, warning me about the dangers about traveling while pregnant." Lina complained as she folded her clothes and put them in her knapsack. "It's as if she thinks we won't be careful!"

"Well, you can be a little reckless." Gourry pointed out. Privately he was nervous about traveling. What if Lina needed a doctor on the road and he couldn't find one in time? The worrying was keeping him up at night. He'd even had a nightmare about it!

"Hey! Whose side are you on?" Lina asked as she stopped packing and put her hands on her hips.

"Yours. Though I'm not sure why you're so eager to get to Seyruun. Wouldn't you be more comfortable staying here rather than traveling?"

"Not really. I've been feeling good lately. Besides, I want Sylphiel to deliver me, and she can't do that if I'm in Zefiria."

She finished shoving her clothing in her bag and tied it up, looking at the list she had prepared for supplies she needed. She had become so forgetful in the last few weeks that she was scared she would forget to pack something very important. Had Gourry's denseness been passed onto the child, which in turn was affecting her? It seemed like the only possible explanation.

"Well, you can, if she came to Zefiria…"

"Right now she is eight months pregnant with her fourth child. The last thing she's going to want to do is travel away from her family to help me. Geez, Gourry, don't you ever think things through?"

"But Lina, aren't you still planning on traveling after the baby is born?"

Lina raised her voice as her patience started to fray. "It's easier to travel with one newborn tied on your back than with four children running around at your ankles!"

Gourry wondered if that would really be the case when the time came, but decided not to try another route. "But aren't there some good healers here?"

"Yes," Lina said through her teeth. "But I don't trust them like I do with Sylphiel. When you've faced someone liked Hellmaster together and survived, well, it creates a bond. Anyway, I also want Amelia there when the baby is born. My Mom, on the other hand…"

Images of Lina's mother driving her like a pack mule to push harder or irritating Lina in some other manner flashed through his mind, and he decided he could see her point. His mind was brought back to the present when Lina stopped packing suddenly, her eyes wide. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said tentatively.

Gourry's eyes narrowed. "That didn't look like nothing."

Lina waved her hand dismissively, "It's just…I felt some weird flutter. I thought may be the baby was moving, but whatever it was, it's stopped now. It was probably just nothing."

…

Even though Lina was feeling better, the pregnancy did affect their travels. They had left bright and early, leaving a note behind at the house for her folks. They hurriedly left Zefiel City before the stores opened and people could notice that they were taking their usual sojourn. And Gourry did have to admit that there was a certain exhilaration that came with being back on the road. It brought back memories of meeting Lina, traveling endlessly together, and falling in love.

Lina, on the other hand, soon found that traveling was not all she remembered it to be. Breathing seemed harder. It was not long before she was panting, and rather dismayed by it. Was pregnancy turning her into a weakling? The thought terrified her! She was getting winded merely by walking at a brisk pace! She did her best not to show it. She certainly did not need Gourry fretting about her again.

"Lina, are you okay? Do we need to stop? You look winded."

Lina swore under her breath. How did he notice these things? Had she really been that obvious? "I'm fine, don't worry."

_I've never let anything get in my way! Bandits ran in fear from me! Dragons couldn't stop me, and neither could monsters and Dark Lords! I'll be damned if I let this pregnancy slow me down!_ Lina kept up this line of thinking until another undesirable urge seized her.

"Stop, I need a bathroom break." She said simply as she headed off the path and into the trees.

Gourry stared after her, thinking that it was a little early for a bathroom break but not wanting to say anything. Even if the thought of her going off into the bushes made him nervous. Sure, she was tough, but now that they were on the open road he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad would happen. And the nightmares he'd been having lately did not help. Much to his relief, she rejoined him shortly and they continued down the path, only to stop a short while later when Lina had to go into the bushes again. She seemed rather irritated when she reemerged.

She didn't say a word, so he followed her lead. It was a pattern that continued throughout the day. Lina felt as though the kid had parked itself on her bladder so that it was constantly full. And the jostling from walking did not help matters. Her mood soured and stayed that way as she noticed more stuff that annoyed her. Like the fact that nature smelled really bad. She had never noticed it before.

The scent of rot seemed to fill her nostrils and settle in her mouth. And when they stopped for lunch, she noticed an ashen taste accompanied her food. Worse still was that it was very dark by the time they reached the inn they usually stayed at while taking this route. Before they usually made it a little before sunset.

Gourry's look of concern throughout dinner only served to irritate Lina further. By the time they had settled into their room she was ready to run back out and find some bandit gang to vent her frustration out on. She knew that was out. Add it to the list of things she could not do while pregnant.

She undid her duffle bag and pulled out her brush, running it through her hair with more force than she usually did. Now all she needed was for Gourry to say something stupid. Well, she was ready for it! She was dying for an excuse to yell at someone and it might as well be him.

She felt him envelope her from behind, his hands clasped gently over her lower abdomen. He kissed the top of her head gently, and then went to bed.

Lina stood frozen to the spot as he went to bed, willing herself not to cry. Still, she found herself bringing her hand to her cheek to wipe away the moisture that had gathered. And to top it off, she couldn't explain why she was crying. Everything seemed wrong. She turned to Gourry who was already nodding off and yelled, "Look what you've made me do!"

Gourry jerked himself awake and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

…..

The next few days followed a similar pattern. Lina was a tired, hormonal time bomb who was starting to resent all of the changes that pregnancy was wrecking with her life. Gourry was constantly on alert, ready for something to go wrong, and his temper was shorter than usual. There was one bright spot, though.

Lina soon found that she had been right the day before they left for Seyruun. She had felt the baby moving! At least, she was now pretty sure that was what it was. He or she usually started moving when she settled in for the night, causing Lina to feel as though someone had set off a round of fireworks in her belly.

On the third night of their travels Lina woke Gourry up. "What?" he asked sleepily beside her as she grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly.

"Feel that?" she asked.

"Feel what?" he replied, sleep still heavy in his voice.

"The baby!" Lina shrieked, "Can't you feel it moving?"

Gourry concentrated for a moment. Despite the fact that he really wanted to feel it, he couldn't. "Nope."

Lina sighed, "It's stopped now, but keep your hand there. May be she will move again."

"Um…sure." Gourry said unconvincingly. And then asked, "She?"

"I think it's a girl, call it women's intuition."

Gourry nodded, "Right…women's intuition." He racked his brain desperately for something to talk about before he fell asleep. "So what are we going to call her?"

"Good thing you asked, I have a long list, let me know if you hear something you like…"

As Lina started to list a long set of feminine names, Gourry felt himself start to drift off when suddenly, "There! Gourry, feel that?"

"Huh?" he gasped as he woke back up.

Lina growled and whacked him on the head, "You fell asleep and missed it?"

"Err…"

"Oh forget it!" Lina yelled as she turned on her side away from him.

…

By the time they reached Seyruun they were both unusually cross. Usually their fights were short lived and easily forgotten. But now they were both in such rotten moods that the animosity just seemed to hang around like a bad storm cloud. When they finally reached the capital, they weren't speaking to each other, and it was not a companionable silence.

Still, Lina managed to perk up at the site of an ice cream vendor. And Gourry couldn't help but smile as she ran off to buy some. Especially when he noted with a strange sense of pride that she was waddling slightly. The waddling was another sign of all the changes happening in their life, while her buying ice cream was something refreshingly familiar. When it seemed that everything else in his life was changing, it brought a bit of normality back.

She handed him a cone by way of a peace offering and they made their way to the palace. Giving the other food without attempting to steal it was their way of apologizing and moving on. All around them people were staring. Both were used to this. Lina tended to attract attention and curiosity. But now Gourry noticed a lot of people were staring at the barely discernable bulge that was her stomach and whisper as they passed. By the way she tensed he knew she noticed too. He put an arm around her shoulder and thought about telling the townspeople off for staring. He decided that this would only attract more attention and remained silent.

Both felt the tension melt off them as they entered the palace gates. "Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry!" One of the guards said as they approached, "Welcome back. Princess Amelia made sure that your apartments were aired and ready for your arrival."

"Hey Rick! Sounds great. Is Amelia around? And how are Sylphiel and the kids?"

"Princess Amelia in a meeting with Prince Zelgadis and King Philionel. It should be out soon. I'll let them know you are here." Sylphiel's husband smiled, "And the kids have grown so much you wouldn't recognize them. Same with Sylphiel. I keep telling her that this time it will be twins!"

Gourry let out a low whistle and Lina shuddered. The thought of taking care of two small babies at once sent chills up her spine. "I'll be sure to give her my condolences. I take it she's probably busy now, too."

"You made good timing actually, her shift at the hospital ends within the hour. I'm sure she'll stop by as soon as she hears you're here."

"Great. Thanks Rick. Oh, and can you see about having some food sent up to our rooms?"

Rick's pale grey eyes flashed down to Lina's stomach for a brief moment. "Of course. If there's anything else you need…"

"We'll let you know." Lina finished for him as she walked with Gourry through the palace and to their apartment.

Lina could now see the truth behind the phrase, "the best part about traveling is coming home." And the palace was a very nice home indeed. Sure there wasn't much privacy, but the amenities were top notch! With indoor plumbing, private bathrooms, a big comfy bed and plush sofas it was the height of luxury. Plus the kitchen came staffed with cooks who created delectable meals daily, and it was all part of the room and board that their duties as guards covered!

Since they were the personal bodyguards to the royal family, their apartment was on the same floor as theirs. Meaning that the rooms were even nicer than those given to other guards. Lina grinned to herself when she thought about it. Even though Lina realized that something was going to have to be arranged for when the baby arrived. She unlocked the door and plopped down on the couch. A living room, a bathroom, and a bedroom. It was fine for two people, but not a family.

She kicked off her boots and decided not to worry about it now. They still had plenty of time. Gourry looked at her for a moment before asking, "Do you need to use the bathroom? I want to take a bath."

Lina nodded, and ran off, closing the door behind her just as a knock sounded on their door. Gourry sighed. He had hoped for a bit of time to unpack and relax before they had visitors, but then he reflected that it was most likely Sylphiel or Amelia, and he could easily slip out and let them catch up with Lina once she was out of the bathroom.

He opened the door. Sylphiel stood there, one hand on her gigantic belly. Rick was right, she was huge. Much bigger than he remembered when she had Maria. He smiled, thinking back to when they were much younger. She looked a lot different now, and it wasn't just because of the pregnancy. She wore the white robes of a healer, and indeed she was King Phil's Chief Medic. She also kept her long black hair, now streaked with grey, in a low bun at the back of her neck. There were lines surrounding her green eyes now. Of the group she was the one who seemed to have aged the most. Strangely, though, aging suited her, bestowing upon her a certain dignity and aura of wisdom.

"Hey Sylphiel, come in. Lina should be out in a minute."

"Is it true?" she asked as she waddled in and sat down on the couch, excitement brimming in her eyes.

"Huh?"

"The rumors?" she prompted, and continued, "It's been said that Miss Lina is pregnant!"

Gourry smiled, "Oh that, yes, she is."

Sylphiel clasped her hands around her mouth, "And you didn't tell us?"

"Didn't want to ruin the surprise." Lina said as she exited the bathroom.

Faster than Gourry thought would have been possible given Sylphiel's condition, she was up and had made it across the room. The two women shared an awkward hug, their bellies getting in the way so they had to stretch awkwardly. "Congratulations!" she cried.

Gourry shook his head. If someone had told him fifteen years ago that they would ever have been good friends he would not have believed them. There was the obvious problem that Sylphiel had a crush on him (yes, he was not as oblivious to it as he pretended to be) while he was falling for Lina. But beyond that, the two were complete opposites on the personality spectrum. He couldn't see the loud, boisterous Lina showing much of an interest in the quiet, demure Sylphiel and vice versa.

Strange events create strange friendships, he supposed. Lina and Sylphiel never talked about what happened after Copy Rezo had nearly killed her. Nor had they discussed what happened when they confronted Hellmaster Phibrizzo together. But he supposed that something must have happened that caused the two to find a deep found respect for each other that transcended whatever jealousy could have developed and rather tangible personality differences.

"…And I want you to deliver me." Lina's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Of course, I'd be honored. I need to do an exam."

"Right, is the bedroom fine?"

Neither noticed as Gourry walked off to the bathroom while they went to the bedroom. Lina sat down on the bed, enjoying the rustle of the gold silk covers as she did so. "Lay down, and lift up your shirt a little." Sylphiel instructed calmly.

Lina did as asked as Sylphiel drew up a chair. "When was your last cycle?"

Lina told her, and Sylphiel's face scrunched as she crunched some numbers, "So you're about twenty one weeks."

"As near as I can tell." Lina replied as Sylphiel placed her hands on Lina's swollen abdomen.

"Any morning sickness?"

Lina groaned. "Morning, noon, night! It was horrible! I'm amazed that people have more than one child."

Sylphiel, who had had gut wrenching morning sickness during all four of her pregnancies, smiled, "You tend to forgive and forget."

"That's not really comforting." Lina muttered as white light radiated from Sylphiel's hands.

"The morning sickness has cleared up, though."

"Yes, thank goodness. But I keep smelling and tasting this weird ashen taste. Gourry says he doesn't notice it and he has sharper senses than anyone I know!"

Sylphiel nodded, "It happens to a lot of women when they're pregnant. No one knows why. It should go away once the baby is born. Is there anything else out of the ordinary?"

"Yes, I get so breathless now when I walk!"

"That's also expected. Have you felt the baby move yet?"

"Yes, well, I think." Lina bit her lip nervously, "Gourry said he couldn't feel it though."

"He wouldn't, not this early. The baby isn't strong enough to make movements that anyone but you can feel right now." Sylphiel explained.

"Oh," Lina said, feeling a little stupid. "Makes sense. So, what's the verdict?"

Sylphiel smiled, "It looks like you're going to have a healthy baby."

Lina sat up and pulled down her shirt, "All right, so everything is normal and looks good?"

Sylphiel nodded, "Yes, but Miss Lina, I'm wondering, what are you doing to prepare for this baby's birth?"

Lina blanched. Really, she didn't like to think about that part. Mostly because she didn't like pain. "Haven't given it much thought."

"I thought so. Have you ever attended a birth?"

Lina squirmed. This was definitely not comfort territory for her. "Um, no."

"I guess the timing works out. I'd like you to attend my birth. That way you can have an idea about what to expect, and if you have questions afterwards you'll have plenty of time to ask. How does that sound?"

Honestly, Lina thought it sounded nauseating, even if part of her realized that what Sylphiel said made sense. Fortunately the sensible part won. "Um, okay. I don't think I'll be very useful though."

"You don't have to be. Just observe. I will have my own midwife to help me through the birth."

There was a sudden knock on the door, followed by the sound of it being thrown open. Both Lina and Sylphiel jumped and stood up. From the living room they heard Amelia call, "Miss Lina? Mr. Gourry? Are you here? Oh, and you're food arrived too."

Lina walked out of her room, trailed by Sylphiel. "Amelia! Zel!"

Amelia screeched when she saw Lina, pointing excitedly at her. Gourry emerged from the bathroom, toweling his hair dry. "Hey Zel, Amelia! Oh, food!"

He headed for the tray loaded with food as Amelia ran for Lina, hugging her quickly before stopping to marvel at her stomach. "I thought it was just talk, but it's true! And Miss Lina, you never said anything!"

Lina waved a hand dismissively, "Yeah, well, I didn't want to spoil the surprise. Hey wait a minute Gourry, save some for me!"

"How far along are you?" Amelia asked as she sat down, smoothing the folds of her pink silk dress as she did.

"Twenty one weeks." Lina said through bites of food, "Hey Gourry, share with the pregnant woman carrying your baby why dontcha!"

"Wow," Amelia said, ignoring the usual food fight as Sylphiel sat down beside her. "That's really great news. We're so happy for you, aren't we Zel?"

"Yes," said Zel a bit too stiffly. "Delighted."

"I suppose this calls for a celebration. I'll let the cooks know and we can have a big dinner. I really wish you had let us know, there's not much time to plan it."

"Don't worry about it." Lina said as she finished up her meal with a jug of milk. "As long as there's food we're happy."

"Let's see, Daddy will want to come, and so will Gracia, Charles and the boys. How about you and your family, Miss Sylphiel?"

"We'll be happy to come. Actually, I'd better pick the kids up from the nursery."

"Oh, okay. See you at eight then." Amelia said distractedly. Sylphiel waved and left. Amelia continued on full steam. "So that will be fifteen. Is there anything you want to eat? You're the pregnant one so you get to choose the dish."

"Hmm," Lina hummed, "Ribs. Definitely craving ribs, oh! And mashed potatoes with gravy and don't forget the rolls. Your chiefs make some of the best rolls. And say, do you have any watermelon?"

Lina continued to spout off a laundry list of items while Amelia wrote them down hurriedly. "Great," she said, "I'd better get this down to the chief. I'll be right back, and then we can start to plan the shower!"

"Isn't it a little early to plan the shower?" Gourry asked as Amelia fled from the room.

Lina waved a hand dismissively, "Typical Amelia. Oh, let her have her fun."

"Hey Zel!" Gourry said cheerfully. Zel was still standing, arms crossed, looking rather disgruntled. "Why don't you take a seat?"

Zel took the seat on the couch that Amelia and Sylphiel had recently vacated. "How's life in Seyruun? Anything interesting happening?"

"Oh, the usual." Zel said with his disinterested tone. "Bickering diplomats. Stifling formal ceremonies. And…"

The door slammed open, causing everyone to jump. Suddenly to room was filled with a high pitched obnoxious laughter. Lina groaned. "Hello Naga."

"She's called Crowned Princess Gracia." Said a small boy with a high pitched voice.

"Hello Travis." Lina said through gritted teeth. And she had thought his mother was annoying…

Naga had changed a great deal. With a great deal of satisfaction on Lina's part, most of the changes were not flattering. Pregnancy had left her once huge breasts limp and droopy. And she had yet to lose the weight she had gained when she had her youngest, Eddie, two years ago. Her manner of dress was a bit more conservative now, though she still preferred to wear black.

Travis, her oldest, was a six year old pretentious snot. He looked a lot like his father, Charles, with his chestnut curls and his bright blue eyes. And unlike the other members of his family, he was Royalty with a capital R and don't you forget it! It was a shame because Lina rather liked his brother, Sean.

"I'm Crowned Prince Travis to you."

"Yes, yes." Lina sighed, "So how are you two doing?"

"I think I'm going to help Amelia." Zel said, and before anyone could say anything, he was gone. Lina had to suppress a giggle. The subject of in-laws was a touchy one with Zel to say the least.

"I think I'll join him." Gourry said.

"Hey!" Lina exclaimed.

"Look, Mommy, she doesn't want to be left alone with us!" As with that, Travis let out an obnoxious high pitched laugh that was eerily just like his mothers.

Lina and Gourry both froze and shuddered. That was not a sound you ever wanted to hear from a six year old boy. "For the love of god, never do that again!" Lina exclaimed.

Naga and Travis exchanged a glance, "What?"

Lina sighed, "Nevermind. I see Travis takes after you."

Naga beamed, "Of course he does! And I see that you're expecting."

"Yes, your sister's planning some celebratory thing for tonight. You're invited."

"Sounds like fun." Naga said as she sat down and pulled Travis unto her lap. "So, how far along are you? You look about twenty five weeks."

Lina blanched, "Twenty five! What are you talking about, I'm twenty one weeks!"

Naga laughed. Gourry turned white, and reached a hand down to clasp Lina's shoulder. "My mistake. Small women tend to show more. When I had my Travis I barely showed at all."

Lina managed to spit out through gritted teeth, "Small…"

"So how long did it take you? Whenever Charles and I wanted a baby it seemed to happen instantly, like magic!"

"So are you going to be having more kids?" Gourry asked, trying desperately to steer to conversation into safer waters.

"No, we have three perfect children, what more could we want?"

Amelia waltzed in then, carrying Eddie on her hip while holding hands with Sean. "Hey Sis, you might want to have a talk with Sean."

"Aunt Lina! Uncle Gourry!" Sean shouted as he ran to each of them to give them a hug.

"Oh? Why?" Naga asked as she ran a hand through her hair.

Amelia blushed a little, "Well, I just caught him teaching Eddie how to whiz in the fountain."

Naga turned an interesting shade of blue, excused herself, collected her sons, and left, leaving Lina, Gourry and Amelia to have a good laugh. Lina rested her hands on her belly and wiped away a tear. "Oh that was great timing! I knew that there was a reason I liked Sean."

"He certainly seems to be a handful. The last time we were here Gracia was always cleaning up after him." Gourry observed.

Amelia nodded, "Yeah, and I'm not sure where he gets it from either."

"By the way, is Zel all right? He didn't seem too happy to see us." Gourry asked.

Amelia twitched a little, "Oh, don't worry about that. You just caught him at a bad time, that's all."

…..

Lina dug into her dinner with unrestrained gusto. Not only had her appetite returned, but it seemed to have doubled. Even Gourry had a hard time keeping up. Though, he no longer engaged her in the food fights, physically at least. He'd occasionally protest that she stole his ribs, to which she would reply "You snooze you lose." But it ended there. He was petrified of accidently knocking her out of her chair and hurting the baby, so he left well enough alone.

After she had demolished her meal, she leaned back contentedly in her chair, hands on her stomach. "Nothing like having my food prepared by the palace chiefs after six months of making it myself."

"And you sure do keep them busy while you're here." Amelia commented between sips of tea.

Lina was barely paying attention to her, focusing instead on Sylphiel who was wiping the face and hands of two year old Maria. Like any toddler, she was squirming about, eager to join her brother, sister, and Naga's children, who were chasing each other around the room. Yet Sylphiel expertly and patiently held onto her until she was satisfied that her youngest was clean enough to leave the table. "Eruk, Lina, your sister is joining you now. Play nicely." She commanded gently to her older two children, who chimed a verbal agreement.

With six children running about, it was noisy, but Sylphiel seemed to sigh and relax when Maria left anyway. "One hour till bedtime."

"Sean!" Naga yelled suddenly, causing everyone around the table to jump, "That's a tapestry, not a ladder! Get down!"

With a devilish grin on his face he climbed down. Naga sighed as everyone around the table resumed their conversation. "I hear you. I always do a little dance once I get those three settled down."

"So…How do you get them settled down?" Lina asked tentatively. "Sean and Eddie especially always seem full of energy."

"It's not too difficult." Naga replied casually as she examined her nails, "Give them a bath, read them a story, tuck them in and then lights out, oh, locking the door doesn't hurt, and then a large glass of wine for me!"

"Getting a routine going is important. It's a bit difficult to start at first, but worth it in the long run." Sylphiel continued.

"Then they go through stages, such as the nightmare stage…"

"Or wanting one more glass of water…"

"Or believing that there's a monster under the bed."

"Parenting likes to throw curveballs." Sylphiel summed it up.

"Miss Sylphiel, Gracia," King Phil said, cutting into the conversation, causing Sylphiel and Naga to jump. Neither had noticed him approach.

"What?" Sylphiel asked, regaining her composure first.

"Since it's Miss Lina and Mr. Gourrys' first night back in Seyruun, I was wondering if you would like me to take the kids tonight for a slumber party. That way you can have plenty of time to catch up."

Sylphiel smiled, "That would be great, thanks."

"Thanks, Daddy." Naga added.

As Phil rounded up the kids, Sylphiel added, "And sometimes, when you least expect it, you get a break."

"Gee, is he going to be okay, taking care of all six of them by himself?" Gourry asked.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Amelia chimed in, "He will organize some game to teach about justice, tell a story, and have them asleep in no time. Daddy is very good with children."

Naga snorted, and took a long drink of ale, but said nothing. Gourry turned around to talk to Zel. Sylphiel, who was sweating profusely, cast a modified wind spell to use to fan herself with and sighed. Which brought a question to Lina's mind. "So, you sweat a lot when you're pregnant."

Sylphiel gave a wry smile, "Don't remind me. I feel like I could fill a lake!"

"Is it…well, I'm not sweating."

She nodded understandingly. "That's also normal. Symptoms vary widely from woman to woman. Consider yourself lucky."

"I was so lucky to have such easy pregnancies." Naga said, "No bad symptoms. My skin became so clear and my hair so thick. And I really never showed too much. Something about being tall, you're not likely to be let off so easily, Lina. All in all, I don't think I ever looked so radiant."

"With the exception of that weird rash on your back." Amelia commented wryly.

Naga fumed.

"So have you been having strange dreams?" Sylphiel asked, eager to change to subject.

"Now that you mention it, I seem to be having a lot of vivid dreams. In fact, I never remember dreaming so much before!" Lina replied.

"I know what you mean. I actually started keeping a dream diary!"

"I had this really weird one the other night where I had given birth to a jellyfish."

"Talk about taking after his father." Amelia muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lina demanded.

Sylphiel laughed a little, "Well, when I was expecting Eruk I dreamed I had given birth to a dolphin. It was a little upsetting, because I couldn't figure out how to feed him."

Naga laughed, causing the conversations around the table to cease momentarily. "You call that upsetting? I kept having this recurring nightmare during each of my pregnancies where this little old woman would come running up to me and slash my belly open."

Lina shuddered, "I had one like that last week. Only it wasn't an old woman, it was Gaav."

Amelia gasped, and Lina smiled reassuringly. "Hey, it was only a dream after all." She neglected to mention that she had woken in a cold sweat and it had taken two hours for her to calm down and go back to sleep.

…

Lina lay awake in bed, her mind too full with thoughts to sleep. Beside her Gourry snored contentedly. Several things were bothering her. Zel and Amelia were acting weird for one thing. Zel acted as though something had crawled up his ass and died. Sure, he used to be that way a lot, but he had mellowed considerably from when they'd first met. Amelia was more subtle, and she'd not even noticed it until Gourry had asked about her before they went to bed. Her smile was a bit too forced and she seemed a little spacey during dinner. She also hadn't eaten much.

Lina decided that she'd just have to sit down and have a chat with Amelia in the morning. She started planning a course of action as the baby started to kick. Lina smiled, and put a hand on her belly, and then froze as panic hit her like a load of bricks.

She sat up and started to shake Gourry awake. "Huh, what?" he muttered, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes something's wrong!" she yelled, "We're going to have a baby!"

Gourry blinked, wondering if it was just his sleep addled brain or if she just really was not making a lot of sense. "Yes…"

"And I don't know the first thing about how to care for one!" she shrieked.

Gourry scratched his head. Come to think of it, he really didn't know a lot about babies either. "Well, we have four months to learn."

Lina whacked him with a pillow. "You idiot! How are we going to learn everything in just four months! Why didn't I start learning earlier? I mean, look at Sylphiel, she's a natural."

"Well yeah. She's done this three times."

Lina growled, "Don't be logical when I'm panicking!"

"Okay, what should I do then?"

Lina slumped forward. "Just…just go to sleep."

He did as told, only to start back awake when she got out of bed, "Where are you going?"

"To the library." She said matter-of-factly as she grabbed her discarded clothing, "There has to be some books there on taking care of babies."

"Oh…okay then. Don't be up too late."

….

Even at night the palace remained busy. Guards patrolled the corridors and nobles ran this way and that to various parties, meetings, and other engagements. Fortunately Lina usually found that the library was a quiet place. With that in mind, she wasn't too surprised to find it was occupied, considering the occupant.

"Hey Zel, what brings you out here so late?" she asked as she stopped by his table on the way to the card catalog.

To her chagrin, Zel flushed and slammed the book he was reading shut. "Nothing, actually, I should be going."

Lina's temper rose, "What's that supposed to mean? Really, you've been acting funny since we got here! I'm starting to wonder if you're up to something."

And with that, she reached around and grabbed the book he was reading and opened it. "Hey!" Zel cried uselessly.

Her eyebrows shot up, "You're researching chimeras again! But didn't you vow to give up finding your cure when you married Amelia?"

Zel blushed furiously, "It's…it's not like that at all!"

"What is it like then?" said Amelia. Both turned in surprise to find her standing in the doorway, clothed in a dressing gown and looking rather displeased.

Lina put the book back on the table as the feeling that things were about to get rather uncomfortable seized her. "May be I should just leave and let the two of you sort this out…"

"I couldn't agree more." Zel said.

Amelia stepped away from the doorway and Lina raced towards it. She had not quite reached it when Amelia tore into Zel. "You promised me you'd stop chasing after it! It was consuming you, it wasn't healthy! How could you?"

Lina made it to the door and was on her way out when Zel shot back, "It's not about the cure at all! I was trying to find a way to make myself fertile so we could have a kid!"

Lina nearly tripped over her own two feet. Was that what this was all about? No wonder Zel had been so grumpy.

"We discussed this already. I have the top minds in white magic working on it."

"Yes, and their efforts have been so fruitful!" Zel yelled back sarcastically.

Lina rounded a corner and their voices faded. She'd had no idea that they were trying to have a child but couldn't. Sure, she would never have expected Zel to mention it, but she thought Amelia would have told her. But then, she'd never said anything to Amelia during her own two years of trying. The sense of failure was too stifling to say anything.

A sense of guilt crept through her. She had, after all, returned from Zefiria with a swollen belly and had gone through dinner talking about pregnancy and babies with Sylphiel and Naga right in front of Amelia, and she was fairly certain that the men's conversation had followed similar straits. She quickly banished the feeling. She couldn't have known, and if it was bothering them so much then they should have said something.

_But still, _Lina thought as she remembered the anger and jealousy she felt when Sylphiel announced she was pregnant with yet another child when she didn't even have one.

She reached her apartment and opened the door and took a seat on the couch. She had a feeling that tomorrow would bring some awkward conversations with Amelia and Zel.

…

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Amelia said as she walked through the palace gardens with Lina after breakfast.

"Don't mention it," Lina replied. "All couples fight after all."

Amelia smiled warily, "Still, usually we have the good sense to do it in private. I walked in on Countess Zora discussing my marital woes with Duke Sato. And it's only a matter of time before Daddy and my sis find out!"

"Hey, it will blow over. Remember when Gourry and I had that public fight over…damn, I can't even remember what we were fighting about, that got the rumor mills started that we'd be splitting up? Eventually something else will come along that the courtiers will eat up and they'll forget all about this."

"It's a little different when you're royalty and it's bedroom matters that are being discussed." Amelia explained. "I mean, part of the job is propagating the line."

"But you knew that Zel couldn't when…"

"Of course I did! But it was okay because Sis had already had Travis and the continuity of the throne was assured. We still wanted to give it a try, though."

"So you hired researchers?"

Amelia nodded, "You remember what happened with Nerisp?"

Lina groaned, "How could I forget? She strung Zel good. I never thought he would actually kill innocents for the cure, but she spun him one good story."

"Yes, it's fortunate we stopped him before it was too late. And in the long run it was for the better. He decided it wasn't worth wasting the rest of his life searching for a cure that probably didn't exist and settled down here with me. I was content just to have him for awhile, though he talked about trying to find a way to make him fertile. I was so scared of a repeat of the Nerisp incident that I kept putting it off until Sis had Sean. Then _I_ wanted a baby of my own so badly I couldn't help it anymore.

"So to prevent him from getting too consumed again I hired a team of researchers and swore them to secrecy. Keeping them on retainer takes out a big chunk of my stipend, but it didn't matter. Zel and I could continue with our lives while someone was working on the problem. About a year ago they produced some sort of potion. We tried it, but nothing. I figured if at first you don't succeed, try again, but Zel took it pretty badly."

"So no wonder he was so grouchy yesterday."

Amelia slumped forward. "He seemed to take some sort of comfort in the fact that we weren't the last childless couple in the group. Not that we're not happy for you!"

Lina patted her on the shoulder, "Don't mention it. It's just…"

"What?"

"Well, I never pegged Zel as the type who would ever want a child."

Amelia stiffened. "Strange, he said the same about you."

Lina blanched, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Anyway, I can't stay too much longer. I have a lot of paperwork to get through. So, what are you going to do today?"

Lina shrugged, "Haven't really thought about it. Phil has put me on maternity leave. Humph, just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't fire a few spells."

Amelia smiled, "He just doesn't want you to overdo it."

"Sure, whatever, I didn't know that everyone would treat me like fine china. I mean…"

"Miss Lina, I'm happy for you, but it's really hard for me to listen to you complain about being pregnant when I'm not. You can share your joy with me, but don't share your grief."

Lina's eyes widened. It was one of the few times she was shocked speechless. Besides, if she couldn't complain to her best friend, who could she complain to?

Amelia sighed, and started to head back to the palace, "Well, have fun and don't get into too much trouble!"

"Yeah, yeah." Lina replied as she watched her friend take off. She put her hands to her stomach and thanked her lucky stars that she was no longer dealing with infertility. She only wished that she had some idea of how to tread with Zel and Amelia now. Especially as she had no idea what she was going to say the next time she saw Zel.

…

She spent the day reading about newborns. Zel came in at some point, gave her a stiff greeting, and sat down to read a book about Seyruun's diplomatic history with the Elmekian Empire. As time passed they finally started talking about magical theory, though carefully avoiding the mention of white magic and pregnancies. Zel still seemed a little distant and the conversation was awkward to say the least, but at least they were still on speaking terms.

The weeks passed quietly. Gourry continued to serve as a bodyguard to the royal family while Lina read books on parenting and spent her evenings trying to teach Gourry all she had learned. Sylphiel offered to let Lina and Gourry spend a few hours a day with her every day once her baby was born so they could get some hands on experience, which lessened Lina's anxiety a lot.

Amelia threw herself full throttle into planning a huge shower for Lina. It felt as though Amelia believed she would never have a baby shower of her own so she poured all of her efforts into creating the perfect one for Lina to compensate. Lina really didn't care about the details, as long as she got a lot of gifts, so she let Amelia do her thing. Even if she did wonder about her friend's mental state.

Sylphiel entered her last month of pregnancy and took a leave from work. For the first time, Lina found herself spending the majority of her time with Sylphiel, helping her care for her older children and learning as much as she could about parenting. The life they used to have that included monster fighting began to seem surreal. And compared to the challenges of childrearing, sometimes seemed easier.

One night when Sylphiel was about a week overdue Lina woke up to hear someone knocking frantically at the door. She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around her as Gourry went to the side of the door, "Who is it?" he asked.

"It's Bart." Said one of the guards.

Gourry opened the door, "Is something wrong?"

"No, Miss Sylphiel sent me. She says she's gone into labor and is ready for Miss Lina to come."

Lina felt a shiver go through her spine. Truth be told, she wasn't looking forward to this anymore than she was to her own birth. If she'd wanted to deal with people who were in pain and bleeding she would have become a healer. Still, Sylphiel's reasoning behind having her there made sense. "I'm on my way."

Gourry closed the door and followed Lina into their room and watched as she found some clothes, and took her time getting dressed. Gourry sat on the bed and watched her closely. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Huh? Oh sure, don't worry about me! It's Sylphiel who's giving birth after all."

"Okay then. Tell her good luck!"

Lina gave him a peck on the mouth and set off to Sylphiel's apartment.

…..

The midwife opened the door. "You must be Miss Lina." She said.

"Yup, that's me." Lina confirmed as she stepped into the living room.

"I'm Karen. Sylphiel is in the bedroom."

Lina's heart beat faster as she approached the bedroom, scared that she would walk in the find Sylphiel screaming and bleeding. Instead, Sylphiel was sitting backwards in a wooden chair, with a look of intense concentration and pain marring her face, her breathing measured. Her long dark hair was braided to keep out of her way and she wore a large nightgown. Thankfully Lina could see no blood.

Lina found a seat in the corner, "Hey, I'm here!"

Sylphiel nodded, but didn't say anything. Lina looked over at Karen, "Is she okay?"

"She's having a contraction, she'll be fine." Karen said reassuringly.

"Oh," Lina said as she watched, unsure of what to do.

Finally Sylphiel gasped and leaned back. "This one is coming fast! The contractions are already regular and three minutes apart. Not to mention intense."

"Do you want to walk around?" Karen asked.

"I'm so comfortable now." Sylphiel said by way of answer.

"Okay, but remember you have to change positions so the baby can position himself correctly."

Sylphiel nodded and with only a trace of annoyance said, "Of course."

"What?" Lina asked, feeling as though she was missing something.

"It's important to move and change positions when you're in labor so the baby can position himself in the birth canal correctly." Karen explained as Rick came in the room.

"How are you doing?" he asked as he knelt before Sylphiel, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She smiled, "Fine, how are the kids?"

"They went right back to sleep as soon as I dropped them off with Princess Gracia. Do you need me to rub your back?'

Sylphiel nodded. And so it progressed, and Lina couldn't help but notice what a pro Sylphiel seemed to be. She occasionally walked around the apartment, and alternated between lying on her left side on the bed, sitting backwards in the chair, and squatting behind it. While Lina expected her to scream, cry, and become a little terror, Sylphiel remained almost annoyingly calm and quiet even though Lina could tell that she was in pain when the contractions came. The way her face bunched up combined with how white her knuckles became as they gripped the chair told it all.

Rick was supporting Sylphiel as she squatted behind the chair, panting. "You're doing good, sweetie, it shouldn't be too much longer."

"He's right." Karen added, "This one is coming fast…"

"Shut…up!" Sylphiel groaned.

Rick and Karen shared a look of understanding. Lina's eyebrows rose in confusion. On the one hand she was happy to see Sylphiel showing some signs of annoyance. Her previous calmness had made her seem disarmingly superhuman. On the other hand, she couldn't see what Rick and Karen were doing wrong.

"Some women want things completely quiet when they're in labor so they can focus better." Karen whispered to Lina, who nodded. She didn't understand, but she wasn't about to ask questions.

In only a few hours she had transitioned and was at the pushing stage. Rick supported her from behind as Sylphiel squatted while Karen knelt before her, offering words of encouragement. "You're doing great, I can see the head, only a few more pushes."

Lina was starting to feel sick. Sylphiel's eyes were bulging appallingly out of her sockets and she was ghastly pale. And Lina refused to look below her waist. She chanced it once and was too disturbed by the fluids gushing out of Sylphiel. A growing sense of dread spread through Lina as she couldn't help but think that she herself would be going through this in a few short months. The feeling got worse when Sylphiel screamed when the baby crowned, causing gooseflesh to develop on Lina's skin. If Sylphiel was finally screaming, then it must really have hurt bad!

"Hold it!" Karen commanded, "Okay, now push! Good, now one more…I've got him! It's a boy!"

Sylphiel relaxed back into Rick as Karen brought the baby up to her chest. Sylphiel grabbed him and cleared the mucus from his mouth and nose. A piercing wail sounded throughout the room, and Sylphiel seemed to dissolve into tears of happiness. "Let's get you two to the bed." Karen said as she and Rick helped her in that direction.

Lina squirmed in her chair, wondering if anyone would notice if she left. Aside from all of the discomfort that came with watching the birth, viewing Sylphiel and Rick as they bonded with their newborn son just seemed too personal. Especially when Sylphiel brought him to her breast to feed him.

"Look, Miss Lina!" Sylphiel said excitedly as Karen cast a Recovery spell after assessing her patients. "Isn't he beautiful?"

Lina walked a little closer, but maintained her distance. And though she would never admit it to Sylphiel, 'beautiful' would not be the word she used to describe the infant. He was shriveled, with red skin and a misshapen head, made more noticeable by the fact that he was bald. That, and he was covered with birth gunk. Lina had thought newborns were supposed to be plump and cute, though she had read recently that the babies' misshapen appearance was normal, it didn't make him cute. "Sure." Lina found herself saying, "Anyway, I'm going to dash and give you all some time alone."

Lina found herself scadadaling faster than Gourry could eat fried chicken. So many thoughts and feelings plagued her as she made her way back to her apartment. It was a relief when she finally arrived and got in, locking the door behind her before plopping onto the couch.

"Lina?" Gourry called from the bedroom.

"Yeah?" she called back.

He appeared a moment later, half dressed for work. "You're back already?"

"Obviously."

"Is everything alright?" he asked as he sat beside her. "That was fast."

"It's fine, she had a boy, both are healthy." She said a bit too cheerfully.

"That's great! What are they calling him?"

Lina opened her mouth to answer and then blanched. "No idea."

Gourry considered her for a moment before asking, "Are you okay?"

Lina perked up, "I'm fine, I'm not the one who had a baby after all!"

Gourry's eyes narrowed. He didn't buy her false cheerfulness. "You don't seem fine."

"You're going to be late for work." Lina said in a singsong voice.

"Work can wait. What's bothering you?"

Lina looked away, "It's stupid."

Gourry continued to stare at her quietly. Finally she spat out, "It's just…It's just that she gave birth so effortlessly! I mean it looked really painful but she barely even screamed. And she knew exactly what to do, how to move, how to make sure the baby was positioned correctly and he came so fast and…how am I supposed to be as good as that?"

Gourry scratched his head, "I wasn't aware that it was supposed to be a competition."

"Of course it is! Girls compare these things! And I'm already at a disadvantage because I'm short and have no hips…"

Gourry winched a little. Truth be told, he had been worried about Lina's small size. It seemed hard to believe that someone so small could have a child. He'd even asked Sylphiel about it, and she reassured him that it wouldn't be an issue. And when he thought about it, being short and scrawny hadn't stopped her from taking down Dark Lords. "You've been listening to Naga too much."

Lina blanched, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"As near as I can tell, she's the only one who is keeping score. Sylphiel keeps saying that every pregnancy and birth is different but normal." He explained, "Besides, this is your first birth. Sylphiel had given birth four times. I'm sure she didn't have as easy a time with her first one."

Lina slumped forward, "But that's just it. This is going to be my first one, so it will be long and painful and…"

She didn't add that she was scared but she didn't need to. Gourry wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close. He was scared too. Of losing her if something went wrong during the birth. Or losing the baby. Or both. And while he was often overwhelmed by how powerful Lina was magically, performing magic and giving birth were very different things.

Add that to the fact that he could fight Dark Lords and monsters. Whenever she gave birth, there would be nothing for him to fight. He would just have to trust Sylphiel to get her through it, like he had back when Copy Rezo had nearly killed her.

He kissed the top of her head, and she turned towards him, drew her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. He returned her affections eagerly. Lina being Lina, she didn't like to dwell on her insecurities long and was quick to find something to distract herself from them. Once they became intimate, she often did this through lovemaking. He pulled her as close to him as he dared without squishing the baby, deciding that in this case it was a rather good habit of hers.

**AN: Two of the dreams mentioned are based on actual dreams I had. I had one where I'd given birth to a dolphin, and like Sylphiel, I was upset because I couldn't figure out how to feed him. And I had another where there was yet another epic battle between Lina and Gaav (really, it was like a cut scenes reel from NEXT) but it ended with Gaav slashing her stomach. Yeah, I'm weird.**


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Slayers is owned by people who are not me.

**Warning: Graphic depiction of birth. If you are squicked by this, then do not read.**

"I hate to break it to you, but your worries have just begun." Rick told Gourry as he showed him how to hold the newborn, Garrett, while bathing him.

"Huh?" Gourry said stupidly. Infants, it turned out, were squirmy little things, and Gourry was afraid he was going to drop him.

"Think of it this way. Lina is probably the toughest person I've ever met. She's shown she can take care of herself over and over again. Yet you still worry about her, right?"

"Every day." Gourry replied, "It's been so bad lately I've been having nightmares."

"Well, wait a few more months till the baby is born. Then you'll have to worry about Lina and a small being who is completely helpless."

Gourry looked down at Garrett, who was now a month old, and had to concede that Rick had a point. Lina could cast a spell if threatened. All Garrett could do was scream helplessly. Gourry shuddered as he thought of all of the powerful enemies he and Lina had made over the years. Would one of them try to hurt them through their baby?

Rick had continued, "And then it could affect your wife in ways you could never expect."

"Like?" Gourry asked as he sponged off Garrett's shoulders.

"Well, when Syl had Uruk, things were fine at first. But a few weeks later we hit the anniversary of the destruction of Sairaag. It's always a tough time of the year for both of us, but it was really bad that year. She started obsessing about how much her father would have loved him and how sad it was that Uruk would never know his grandparents. I'd come home and find her crying inconsolably. She'd stare out into space for long periods of time, it was hard to get her motivated to do anything, even to care for Uruk.

"I took her to a healer, and she said that it was a bad case of the baby blues and that there wasn't much to do but wait for it to pass. Princess Amelia helped out a lot, taking Syl for walks in the garden and helping me take care of Uruk at night so she could get some uninterrupted sleep, which the healer advised. Eventually she snapped out of it."

Gourry quietly washed the baby for a moment before asking, "So does every woman get these baby blues?"

"According to the healer, yes, but not as bad as Syl did. And even then, when Syl had our Lina she was fine. When we had Maria, though, it was worse than it was with Uruk! This time things have been fine so far. I'm hoping they stay that way."

"I had no idea." Gourry said as he took Garrett out of the water to towel him dry. "Whenever we were here she seemed to have it all together. It's been intimidating Lina."

"She was the daughter of Sairaag's Head Priest. She was raised to maintain a calm façade to the outside world."

Gourry shook his head. Lina, Sylphiel, and the rest of the women were down the hall enjoying Lina's shower. Phil had decided to hold some sort of Justice Camp for his grandsons and had invited Sylphiel and Rick's three older children along. Rick had offered to take the time to show Gourry some basic infant care techniques so he'd be more comfortable when the baby came. Instead, Gourry was feeling more nervous. He could never imagine Lina depressed and inconsolable. Yet he could never imagine Sylphiel that way either, and he had been there in the days immediately following Sairaag's destruction.

"Hey!" Rick said, clapping Gourry on the back, "Great job bathing Garrett. Aren't you feeling more confident now?"

…

It was a set of crib bedding. Lina couldn't fault the material. It was a fine, smooth cotton. She couldn't argue with the pale blue hue of the material either. Nor could she deny the quality of the bedding. Whomever the seamstress was who worked on it knew her craft well as the stitches were tiny and straight. The embroidered seal of the monstrous Zoalmelgustar right smack dab in the middle was another story. "Um, thanks Martina. You shouldn't have."

"I know. I spent a lot of money on the best seamstress in the land to make them." Martina, who had held up remarkably well through the years, replied as she daintily sipped her tea.

"And they're hideous." Added Michelle, Martina's teenage daughter, who looked like she would rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Lina and Amelia exchanged a glance, and had to bite down on their laughter as Martina turned red. "Now look!" Martina shouted, "You may think that Zoalmelgustar is some joke but…"

"When are you going to introduce me to Gourry?" Michelle interrupted as she took off her hat. It could easily have been the one that Zangulus wore. In fact, Lina wondered if Michelle had taken it from him. Strangely, though, Michelle looked like a clone of Martina, their personalities were a complete 180. While her hair was the same shade of green, rather than putting it in elaborate curls, Michelle held it back in a simple pony tail. And she wore comfortable, practical traveling clothes.

"Why do you want to see Gourry?" Lina asked warily, remembering Martina's tendency to be overzealously boy crazy in her youth.

"He's the best swordsman in the world, isn't he?" Michelle replied.

"I think so." Lina said, just as Martina humped in annoyance, "Hardly. He's no match for your father."

Michelle turned to face her mother, "But Daddy admits that Gourry beat him in a match, so that would mean Gourry is the best."

"There were extenuating circumstances…"

"Oh please." Lina said.

"Anyway," Michelle said, turning to Lina, "I want to be the best, so I want Gourry to train me. Daddy has already taught me a lot, but I feel like I'm reaching a plateau with him. I need someone to really challenge me."

Lina regarded the young woman, wondering if she was going to regret this. Logically she knew Gourry would never cheat, but she was huge, hormonal, and temperamental while Michelle was young, thin and adoring of Gourry. And if she did have a trace of the boy craziness her mother used to have… Finally deciding that she was being silly she said, "Well, he gives lessons when we're in Zefiria…"

"Great, when will you be back in Zefiria?"

"You can't go to Zefiria!" Martina interjected, "You have royal duties at home!"

"Junior can take care of those."

"And you should learn from your brother's example…"

"Oh boy," Lina said as she cradled her head in her arms.

"Here Miss Lina, I think you'll like this." Filia said as she handed a beautifully wrapped package.

Lina perked up and tore the paper off, revealing an unassuming brown box. Lina opened it and removed quite a bit of packaging material before pulling out a small white jar that was encrusted with pearls. On the front, in gold lettering, was Lina and Gourrys' names with their wedding date. Lina was a bit puzzled. It certainly looked expensive, which she liked, but she could not for the life of her figure out what a baby would do with something so breakable.

"It's a family jar." Filia explained. "Once the baby is born you can take it to Jill's Jar Shop and get his or her name engraved, along with the date of birth. Same with any of your future children. And don't worry about paying for the engraving, I worked a deal out with Jill already."

"Oh, wow. Thanks Filia!"

"So, how is business going?" Amelia asked.

"Great!" Filia said as she sat down on the nearest couch, "It's been so busy that I wasn't sure I'd be able to get away, but Jilas insisted he could handle it."

"That's good. Has Valgaav hatched yet?"

"No, and he won't for awhile. Human lives go by far more swiftly than those of dragons'."

"But I don't want to manage a kingdom!" Michelle yelled, interrupting their conversation.

"You're so lazy! Just like your father, all you do is play with your sword…"

"Oh dear." Sylphiel sighed.

"Why did you invite her, Amelia?" Lina asked.

"I didn't." Amelia explained, "She heard that you were pregnant and decided to stop by."

"Well, here's what I got." Sylphiel said, shaking her head at Martina and Michelle and hoping her own children's teenage years would not be as turbulent.

Sylphiel's gift was a set of baby clothes and diapers. Lina marveled at how tiny they were for a few moments before turning to Naga's present, which was a deadbolt. "You'll thank me once that baby can walk and open doors." Naga explained when Lina and the others sent her a puzzled look. "Trust me."

"Well," Amelia said, her voice a little too perky, "My Daddy's gift are these apartments we're currently in. They're larger and have more room for a growing family than the ones that you're currently in."

"All right!" Lina exclaimed as she surveyed the rooms they were in. The living room was larger, and Lina was fairly certain that there was an extra room or two, even a spare bathroom. Plus, they came furnished in a manner that living in a palace provided. In Lina's mind, it was the best gift yet.

"So do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Filia asked before Amelia could give her present.

"It's a girl." Lina said definitively.

"Are you sure?" Gracia asked. "You're carrying all wrong for it to be a girl."

"Of course I'm sure!" Lina yelled, causing Martina and Michelle to stop their fight and stare at her, "I'm carrying this child after all. One night I woke up and I knew, it's a girl."

Naga's eyes narrowed, "I'm not so sure, have you been craving sweets or salty food?"

"Well you had bad morning sickness, didn't you?" Martina interrupted, "For once I agree with you, Lina, that means you're having a girl. Junior's pregnancy was a breeze. Michelle's, on the other hand…"

"I still say she's carrying all wrong for a girl. I carried low with all of my pregnancies like her, and they were all boys."

"Well, I carried high for all of mine, and I had both." Sylphiel said, "There's really no way to tell for sure until the baby arrives. And I had the worst morning sickness ever when I was pregnant with Garrett. All told, my Lina's pregnancy was the easiest."

"Which is why I'm not relying on those superstitions." Lina said, arms folded over her belly, her manner rather aloof, "My woman's intuition, which I've learned to trust through the years, says girl."

"Miss Lina's right, a woman should always follow her intuition," Amelia said supportively, "Why don't you see what Zel and I got for your daughter? It's in the room to your right."

"You mean I have to get up?" Lina asked dryly even as she hauled herself off the couch and waddled over to the indicated room just as Naga asked about baby names.

Lina ignored her. The last thing she needed was someone critiquing the name that she and Gourry had spent so much time reaching an agreement on. She opened the door and looked inside and felt her jaw drop. Indeed, it was nice to be friends with the royal family, not to mention in their debt. The cradle that was inside was the most beautiful and ornate looking crib she had ever seen.

…..

Lina felt as though her legs would detach from her pelvis at any moment. Sylphiel had said that her joints were loosening to prepare for birth. It was a strange sensation, neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but merely disconcerting. Lina had always been very comfortable in her body, she knew its reflexes well and had always been oriented in space well. It was important to be so when you were bandit hunting. But now it was as if someone had taken her brain and transplanted it into a new, foreign body. Her sense of space was skewed, her legs didn't seem to move the way they used to, and simple things like walking or getting up took longer.

_At least this still feels heavenly_ Lina thought to herself as she sank into a bath filled with hot water. She leaned her head back and felt herself relax, letting the water work its magic on her joints, enjoying the feeling of buoyancy. Gradually worries over what else would change and which of those changes would be permanent faded as she relaxed.

After the shower Gourry had gathered their things and moved them into the larger apartments. Lina had then started to organize the smaller room next to theirs to prepare for their imminent arrival. Lina had been seized with a desire to make sure everything was perfect, and Gourry wisely decided to stay out of her way.

After deciding she had done enough for one night and raiding the kitchen with Gourry she finally took to opportunity to unwind in the tub. But like so many things these days, it wasn't long before she had to stop to go to the bathroom. With a sigh, she heaved herself out of the tub, answered nature's call, and dressed for bed.

Lina slid in beside Gourry so that she was lying away from him on her left side, one leg propped up with pillows. He turned in his half-sleep state and put an arm around her swollen belly. "I felt that." He muttered sleepily.

"Yes, that was a definite kick." Lina confirmed. The downstairs neighbor was lively at the moment, proudly making her presence known. Lina smiled warily. She was rather tired and wanted to sleep, and knew full well she wouldn't until the baby calmed down. At the same time, she knew that if junior was not moving, she'd worry about whether or not she was okay. So Lina amused herself with the reminder that the baby was alive and well and, once quieted, found herself drifting off to sleep.

Only to wake up a few hours later with the urgent need to move to her other side. She sighed. Before she got pregnant, rolling over in her sleep was easy because she could do it on her stomach. Now was a different matter entirely. She'd never realized how hard it was to roll over on your back until it became a regular nightly exercise. And she always felt as awkward as an upside down turtle when doing it. With a bit of huffing she turned and tried to fall back asleep.

Yet the growing pressure on her bladder refused to let her. She tried to ignore it, hoping that if she fell asleep it would just go away. Only it got more persistent, and finally fearful that she would pee all over herself she got up and walked to the bathroom. Once finished she slid into bed again and finally drifted up.

She had been dreaming a nice dream that this thing called pregnancy was over and that she now had a beautiful baby to show for all of her suffering when she woke up again a few hours later, once again because of the need to use the bathroom. She sighed. It had been like this for several weeks now. She'd known that once the baby was born she wouldn't be getting uninterrupted sleep for awhile, but she never thought it would start before the baby had even arrived! The time when she could easily get six to seven hours of uninterrupted sleep was fast becoming a distant memory.

With the sad realization that it would be a long time before she would be able to sleep for more than four hours straight without something waking her up, she got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom once more.

…..

"Hey Zel, where are you going?" Gourry asked.

Zel folded a map and put it back into his knapsack. "The kingdoms of Dils and Lyzeille are having some squabbles. They requested a Seyruun delegate meet them in Atlas City to negotiate an agreement. Phil decided that this would be a good time for me to expand upon my duties."

"Wow, sounds like he really trusts your abilities."

"I suppose." Zel replied lackadaisically as he put the saddle on his horse.

Gourry considered him a moment before asking, "So, is everything okay? You don't sound too excited."

"I am, to be on the open road again at least. But being in a room full of stuffy delegates who are going to be at each others' throats." Zel gave a wry laugh, "I thought I knew what I was getting into when I married a princess. I was a fool. You can't make anyone happy in politics, much less everyone. Everyone always knows your private business. And you're always having to watch your appearance! I don't know how Amelia keeps such a positive outlook on life while dealing with it all!"

"May be you should ask her how she does it. I'm sure she could give you some good pointers." Gourry suggested.

"I suppose."

Gourr's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it when Amelia walked up. "All ready to go?" she asked cheerfully. A bit too cheerfully.

"Yes. Just waiting on the all clear from the Captain and then we'll be off."

Gourry left them to their goodbyes, worrying about the state of his friends' marriage as he did so.

…..

"I can't believe this!" Lina exclaimed as she sat her fork speared sausage down at breakfast.

"What?" Sylphiel asked.

"I can't finish my breakfast! I'm already full!"

Sylphiel smiled, "That's to be expected. Your baby is getting so large that she's pressing against your stomach so that it's smaller and you can't eat as much."

"But you're supposed to eat when you're pregnant!" Lina grumbled, "You're supposed to be hungry all of the time and have thirds and forth servings of everything and no one is allowed to complain to you because you're eating for two!"

"Well, now you'll just have to enjoy more snacks throughout the day."

"I guess." Lina muttered.

"So is the baby giving you some good kicks?"

Lina laughed wryly, "I feel like she's going to break a rib sometimes!"

"That's good. It means she's getting bigger and will be ready to come out soon."

"It can't come soon enough! My back hurts, I can't sleep at night, and now I can't even finish my breakfast." Lina sighed and pushed her plate away. She might say she was ready, but she was still nervous about actually giving birth. She was starting to wish she could somehow skip that part and go straight to the having the baby out and caring for her part.

"Are you all right?" Sylphiel asked.

Lina smiled, "I'm fine. Just a bit of indigestion, that's all."

…

Gourry couldn't help but smile as he watched Lina organize the nursery for the umpteenth time. His pride had seemed to grow along with his wife as the proof of her condition became more apparent with each passing day. The fact that they were about to become a family seemed more certain. He could feel the tiny life kicking within her now, could see it dance within her belly. And while he regretted the discomfort it caused Lina, he couldn't be happier.

After the disaster that had befallen his own family he never thought he would have the opportunity to start anew. For awhile he thought he'd die some unknown mercenary in some strange land. But then he'd met Lina. And then he fell in love with her, but feared that she'd never settle down and start a family with him. Yet that changed with the years, and here they were. And it was incredible.

"What are you grinning about?" she asked as she paused briefly. She was moving the crib sheets from the third shelf to the fourth after much deliberation.

"You. You've only rearranged this whole nursery ten times."

"It's something to do." She sighed, "Honestly I'm getting bored. With Phil deciding that I can't be a bodyguard in my condition, added to the fact that all of my research is at our house in Zefiria, there's not much for me to do here. And I'm sick of reading about babies and parenting! After awhile all of the advice books start to sound the same."

"So you're just going to reorganize the nursery for the next month?"

Lina shrugged, "It's still not perfect yet."

Gourry thought that it looked fine to him, but decided not to say anything to her. As the weeks passed Lina eventually decided that the nursery was perfect and focused her attention on the rest of the apartment. It was a welcome relief, therefore, when Amelia arrived one day dressed in her traveling clothes and suggested a jaunt into the city for a shopping trip. Lina was only too happy to harp on the opportunity to spend some time away from the palace and in the city.

As usual, the shopping district was abuzz with activity. Lina soon contented herself in a magic shop, replenishing ingredients and finding a few pieces she was sure would come in handy with her research. Once again she was in her element as she haggled fiercely with the store owner.

"That store had some great stuff!" Lina commented to Amelia as they left, their packages carried by some royal henchmen. "I'm glad you suggested this. I really needed to get out."

"I'll say. Life in the palace can get so stifling." Amelia replied.

"At least you have stuff to do. I've been bored stiff. Hey, is that an ice cream stand?"

"Amelia!" a voice rang through the crowd.

Lina and Amelia exchanged a glance before turning around to find Zelgadis and the rest of the delegation that had left a month ago riding up to them. Amelia smiled and waved excitedly. Lina raised her hand to wave when she noticed a small boy riding on the same horse as Zel. "Where did he come from?" Lina asked.

"Huh?" Amelia asked, and then noticed the child. "Oh. I don't know."

Zel pulled up to where they were and dismounted. Lina eyed him cautiously. Something had changed. He was smiling for one thing. He seemed a little taller as well, as though some burden had been lifted from his shoulders. As she watched him carry the child off the horse, she realized she had never seen Zel this happy before.

No sooner had Zel set the boy down than did Amelia jump in his arms and give him and enthusiastic kiss, which to Lina's great amazement he actually returned. Zel was usually such a prude that it was surprising to see him so open with his emotions. Lina still remembered how embarrassed she felt for Amelia during the 'you may now kiss the bride' part of their wedding!

Lina rested her hands on her enormous belly and watched them bemusedly. When they eventually parted Zel grabbed Amelia's hand and pulled her to the small child, who could not be more than three. "There's someone I'd like you to meet. We think his name is Benny."

"You think?" Amelia asked.

Zel nodded solemnly, "While we were on our way back we stumbled upon the ruins of Esouh, a small town. Bandits had raided it and slaughtered most of the townspeople."

"What?" Amelia exclaimed.

"Great," Lina muttered, "I can't hunt bandits for nine months and they crawl from the woodwork and destroy peoples' lives. See, I always told you guys that what I did was a public service and I should be thanked for it."

"Anyway," Zel continued, "He was one of the few survivors. He's an orphan now. One of the people in our retinue came from Esouh and visited regularly, and was fairly sure his name was Benny, but we don't know for sure. He's been so traumatized that he's not said a word since we found him."

Amelia's eyes welled with tears as she knelt down so she was eye level with Benny. "You poor thing!"

"I kept thinking about what you said about adopting." Zel said so quietly that Lina could barely hear him, "And I thought we could really help him. We've made some inquiries to see if we can find any relatives, but so far nothing. And if you don't want to I'm sure we can find a good family for him in Seyruun. But I've become attached to him."

Amelia's eyes burned sapphire blue flames and she bunched her hand in a fist, "Well of course we can provide him with a family! It's the least we can do to help someone who has been dealt such an unjust blow so early in life! We'll do whatever it takes!"

Lina smiled as Amelia continued in that vein, "Look what you started, I haven't heard her utter a Justice speech since I got here!"

"I'm relieved to hear it. Things have been so stressful for her this past year that she wasn't quite herself." Zel replied, the smile not leaving his face, "Besides, I've always found her speeches rather bemusing."

…

Lina and Gourry helped Zel and Amelia organize a room for Benny. For his part, Benny seemed to have bonded well with Zel and refused to leave his side. He never said a word, but watched everyone warily with his big green eyes. At dinner he didn't eat much, preferring to watch everyone cautiously. Eventually the noise and the mayhem that accompanied dinner became too much for him and he broke down crying, and Zel and Amelia had to excuse themselves and take him to bed.

"So, how's it going?" Lina asked Amelia a week later as they sat in Amelia's living room while Benny napped in his room.

Amelia took a long sip of her tea before setting the cup down. Lina noted the dark circles under her eyes, even though those eyes sparkled with life that she'd not seen in awhile. "This morning was horrible! He's refused to leave Zel all week and didn't want to have anything to do with me. Finally we decided that Zel had to get out today so I rearranged my schedule to take care of him. Benny screamed for Zel all morning. He finally wore himself out and went to sleep. It wasn't the bonding experience I was hoping for."

"Ouch, that sounds rough."

Amelia nodded, looking rather careworn, "It's not all bad. Some things have been wonderful. Zel and I aren't fighting anymore. And the pressure to have a child is gone. At the same time, I really thought he'd like me, and that he'd be speaking by now."

"Give him time." Lina said as she bit into a cookie, "The poor kid's been through a lot."

"I know." Amelia said, "He's been having night terrors every night."

"No wonder you look wiped."

Amelia smiled wryly, "You don't exactly look so rested yourself."

Lina snorted, "I can't get more than two hours sleep in a stretch now! In some ways I envy you. At least when your child arrived you were well rested. I'm going into late night feedings without having gotten a good night's sleep in months!"

"At least you get the experience of sharing an existence with your baby before he's born." Amelia countered, "I'll never know what it's like to carry a child. You two get to bond before he's even born!"

"Yeah, you're right. At least you get to keep your body, though. I'm starting to worry that I won't be the same anywhere."

Amelia smiled brightly, "But at least you now have the bust size that you've always wanted."

"If my magic weren't on the fritz I'd fireball you." Lina muttered as she put her feet on the coffee table, moaning slightly as she did.

"Are you okay, Miss Lina?"

"Oh, my back's been killing me! I'm just stretching it out is all."

"Oh, okay. Then I won't ask you to take your feet off my table." They grinned at each other before Amelia continued, "I know it's hard for you now, but I'm still envious. Benny doesn't see me as his mother. Because I'm not. I didn't carry him, and I didn't care for him for as long as he can remember. And he was taken from his mother in the most unjust manner. My mother was assassinated. I know what that's like. And I know I can't replace her. And part of me thinks I'm being idiotic for even trying! Especially after a morning like this. And then I feel horrible for feeling so jealous of her. For being mad that I've already missed the first few years of his life, all of those milestones. You'll get to be there for all of that."

Lina took of a sip of her tea before saying, "The past is the past, there's no use in moping about it. So you weren't his mom for the first few years of his life, but I'll bet anything that his mother would rather he be raised by someone who can love and provide for him considering she can't rather than the alternatives. Bandits aren't so kind to foundling children you know, it was lucky Zel found him before they did. Kids are resilient, and he'll come around soon. And you need to think about what you can do to help him along."

Amelia smiled, "You're right. It's just, I thought having a child would make everything better. I just didn't think it would be such a huge adjustment."

Lina chuckled, "I guess no matter how you enter parenting, it wrecks havoc with your life."

…..

"What's all this?" Lina asked as she entered the library and found Zel buried deep in a pile of books and parchment.

"I convinced Phil to let me open a school to teach Shamanist magic. I want to make sure Benny is able to get a good foundation in it."

Lina frowned as she sat in one of the comfier chairs, "Why, he's a little young to be showing aptitude in any sort of magic."

"I know." Zel said, "But I want it to be up and running in case he does. Seyruun is great if you're interested in White Magic, but not much else."

"I know what you mean. It's useless to even think about researching Black Magic here."

"I was able to convince Phil and the ministers that Seyruun would be stronger if it diversified its interests a bit. And to make it even more enticing I threw in the offer to teach orphans and economically disadvantaged youth for free. That got Amelia's firm support, as well as Phil's."

"So now you're planning on teaching?" Lina asked skeptically.

"Yes, the life of a diplomat was not for me. I still don't know how Amelia puts up with it."

Lina frowned, "No offense, but I just never saw you as the type who would enjoy teaching children."

"I used to like children, before Rezo turned me into a chimera and they ran away screaming at the sight of me that is."

"Oh." Lina said. An awkward moment passed before she asked, "So, need any help? I have nothing to do but wait for this kid to be born and I'm going a little out of my mind."

"Pull up a book."

….

"I'm going to be pregnant forever." Lina whined as she sat facing the back of a chair while Gourry rubbed her back.

"Sylphiel said it could be any day now." Gourry said reassuringly as he started to list the signs that labor was just around the corner. "Your magic is gone, you're carrying low, and…"

"Yes, she said all three weeks ago! And she's been saying it every day since! Why hasn't this kid been born yet? I'm ready! You're ready! Why isn't she here?"

Gourry tried to think of something to say. Privately he agreed with Lina. He was usually very patient, but even he was tiring of waiting. They had been waiting for so long. And he hated seeing Lina so uncomfortable and tired all of the time. Plus, living with a grouchy Lina was not exactly easy. He admitted to thanking his lucky stars that sorceresses lose their powers right before they give birth. He was sure it was a survival mechanism for their spouses. All things considered, he was ready for the baby to arrive. "May be she got lost." He suggested.

Lina groaned, "How can she get lost? There's only one exit. Unless she inherited your brains."

"There are worse things."

There was a knock on the door and Lina smiled, "Come in!"

Sylphiel and Rick walked in, four kids in tow. "Are you two ready?"

"You bet we are!" Lina said as she turned around and grabbed her shoes, which were now too small for her feet, and shoved them in awkwardly.

"We've been looking forward to this all week!" Gourry added.

"I'm rooting for Zefiria this year." Lina said.

"We're sad to hear it." Rick said playfully, "Because Seyruun is going to crush you!"

"No way!" Lina challenged, "Zefiria's champion is a prodigal talent this year! Seyruun is going to get thoroughly whipped by the time we're through!"

Gourry helped Lina to her feet and, talking amiably, the group headed out to the Kingdom's Champion Tournament. Every year all of the kingdoms gathered in Seyruun, each one sporting a champion who was the best that individual kingdom had to offer. The champions then competed against each other for the glory of their kingdom in a two day tournament to see who was the best. King Phil said it fostered good relations between the kingdoms and helped ensure the peace. Lina and Gourry just liked the opportunity to watch a lot of sports while eating a lot of good food. And this year it would provide a welcome diversion from waiting for a baby to arrive who was determined to stay put.

The courtyard was abuzz with activity as people eagerly made their way to the stadium, exchanging statistics and making guesses about who would win this year. Street vendors hawked their wares, and the group made a stop for ice cream. By the time they got to the stadium it was already crowded, and people still seemed to be filing in. One of the benefits of being friends with the Seyruun royal family was that they got good box seats that were fairly comfortable.

"Too bad Mr. Zelgadis, Miss Amelia, Miss Gracia and Mr. Charles are to preside over the games and can't be here with us." Sylphiel said as she got her children settled in.

"Yeah, and those thrones they have to sit in always look so uncomfortable." Lina added and she sank into her cushioned chair and put her feet up.

"They are. I overheard Mr. Zelgadis complain to Princess Amelia about it once." Rick added.

"Gourry! Funnel cakes! There's a funnel cake vendor over there, go get me some!" Lina exclaimed excitedly as she pointed to her right. She rubbed her stomach as she ignored a mild cramp.

"Sure thing. Anyone else want one?"

He took everyones' order and left with Rick to get some food. Lina and Sylphiel chatted amiably, raising their voices to hear each other over the noise of the crowd and children. Gourry and Rick returned shortly, arms laden with food and drinks, and quickly distributed it among the occupants of the box. As if on cue, by the time they were settled King Phil stood up to deliver his opening speech.

As usual, it was a long, drawn out speech about justice, and Lina found herself grow impatient for the opening ceremonies to start. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she started cramping again. "You okay?" Gourry asked.

"Just tired of listening to this speech. Whew, he's winding down."

King Phil ended his speech and sat down. The speaker announced each of the champions, and each got their time in the sun as they circled the stadium while the anthem of their kingdom was played and their kinsmen cheered them on. Lina started cramping again as the champions returned to their huts and some dancers came out. Sighing, she got up and started to pace in the back of the box. Fortunately it seemed to help, even if it was back by the time the dancers had finished.

Lina furrowed her brow. This was unusual. "Hey Sylphiel, I keep getting these cramps."

"Time them." Sylphiel said calmly. "You might be in early labor."

"What?" Gourry exclaimed.

"Might?" Lina asked simultaneously.

"They might just be practice contractions or you might be in early labor. We won't know until you time them." Sylphiel explained.

"Should we go back home?" Gourry asked.

"We'll be fine if we stay here. These things take a long time Mr. Gourry and there's nothing to do at the apartment that we can't do here. When they get close together and stronger then we should head home."

Lina spent the next hour watching the game and timing contractions. "Sometimes they're twenty minutes apart, other times fifteen, sometimes sixteen." She sighed.

"Stop timing them for now then. If they get closer together and stronger then we'll time them again. We can go home if you want, or stay here." Sylphiel said.

"I'm staying here." Lina said firmly, "I'm tired of the apartment."

Gourry didn't look too happy but didn't say anything. Sylphiel smiled, "A good choice, this will be a good distraction. Just make sure to get up and walk the box every now and then."

Lina nodded, and sat back down as the champions lined up on the field to participate in the discus throw. Soon Lina was lost in the competition, cheering on Zefiria and hugging Gourry excitedly when her home kingdom won the first competition. She had some more contractions, but it was no biggy. If this was how contractions felt like then Lina wondered why she had been worrying so much. It was a bit discomforting, but nothing she couldn't handle.

The day drew on. The champions competed valiantly. Lina's contractions kept coming, but they remained irregularly spaced and mild and she was able to thoroughly enjoy herself, even if she was a bit disappointed that when they finished for the day she didn't seem to be any closer to having the baby.

"It's your first time, it will be awhile." Sylphiel consoled as they walked home. "And even though they aren't much closer together it doesn't mean you didn't get any work done. You're much closer now to holding your baby than you were this morning."

"Yeah," Lina said, "I guess. Still, I'm torn. I want this thing out, and I want to see who wins tomorrow. Zefiria has only a narrow lead."

"We'll give you constant updates!" Uruk piped in.

Lina laughed and ruffled his hair, "Thanks." She sighed, "Why couldn't this have happened earlier in the week?"

"Babies come when it is least convenient." Sylphiel said by way of answer.

"So, what should we do tonight?" Gourry asked, his arm protectively around his wife.

"Try and get some sleep. Especially you, Miss Lina. Once those contractions get closer together and more intense you won't be able to. And when they do get stronger, don't hesitate to send for me, no matter what time it is."

…

Much to her own surprise, Lina was able to get a good four hours worth of sleep before being woken by a contraction. Her eyes shot open and she put a hand on her stomach as her breath hitched. Gourry sat up, instantly alert. "You okay?"

"Fine." She gritted, "It's stronger now."

"Is there anything I can do?"

The pain faded, and Lina relaxed, "Send for Sylphiel and Amelia?"

Gourry patted her hand and grabbed his robe, wrapping it around him as he walked out of the bathroom. Lina lumbered out of bed and to the bathroom to answer nature's call.

"Okay, the guard just left to summon Sylphiel. How are you doing?" Gourry asked as he stood in the frame of the doorway a few minutes later while Lina pulled her long red locks back.

"Fine!" Lina said. She had expected to be more nervous when labor started, but now that it was here she felt relieved that this thing called pregnancy was finally coming to an end. And the energy rush that came with it was powerful! "I popped my mucus plug."

"Your what?"

Lina rubbed her temples. Of course he wouldn't know what she was talking about. "It means that the baby is getting ready to come out."

"Now!" Gourry asked, rising panic in his voice.

"Well, not this very second, no!"

Gourry took a deep breath and relaxed, "Okay, when then?"

"I don't know! A few hours may be."

Sunshine started to crawl into their apartments a few hours later as Lina's grip on Gourry tightened. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head, rubbing her back gently as he did so, wishing he could do more. They were in their bedroom, dancing slowly, swaying back and forth. Sylphiel said it would help position the baby correctly in Lina's pelvis and was a good way to pass the time during early labor.

While he enjoyed being so close to his wife, he hated it whenever a contraction overtook her. He felt so helpless knowing that she was in pain and there was nothing he could do about it. Worse still, he was responsible for it. If he hadn't gotten her pregnant she wouldn't have been holding him so tightly at that moment. Yes, she had been an equal and willing participant, but nothing he went through compared to what she was going through. And a slight pang of guilt was gnawing at him for it.

It didn't help that the interval of time between contractions was growing shorter. He knew it was actually a good thing, that it meant that Lina was getting closer to having the baby. But it also meant that she was in pain more often now. Her grip loosened and he sighed in relief.

Lina exhaled deeply and nuzzled closer to her husband. She was a little disappointed that the day was starting and she still was not in active labor. When Sylphiel had had Garrett, labor had begun and ended by the time it had taken Lina's own contractions to be spaced ten minutes apart to six. The enthusiasm she felt when she first woke up was starting to wane. As the contractions grew stronger and closer together she grew more and more wary of facing the next one. She was ready for it to be over already, but deep inside she knew she had a long way to go.

She thought about calling out to Sylphiel who was with Amelia in the living room, ready to be called in when needed to ask why she wasn't holding her baby yet. She knew too well what Sylphiel would say. Babies take their time, it was her first pregnancy and labor takes awhile, yadda yadda yadda. Lina didn't want to hear that it would be awhile, she wanted it to be now!

There was a knock on the door. "Yes?" Lina called.

Amelia walked in, looking concerned, "I have to leave for a little bit, just to get the tournament started. I'll be back as soon as I can, unless you really need me to stay."

Lina felt her stomach drop a bit at the mention of the tournament. Right now she would much rather be heading down there to watch it than stuck in her apartments assaulted by wave after wave of pain. "I think we've got it. Knowing my luck this kid won't get here for awhile. Try not to have too much fun."

Amelia walked over and patted her on the shoulder, "I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise! Do you need me to send Sylphiel in?"

"Nah, we're fine." Lina said dismissively.

No sooner had Amelia left than did the pain start to build again, from the top of her stomach down to her pelvis. Lina moaned and held Gourry tighter, "It's not fair, I really wanted to see Zefiria win…"

Her voice trailed off as the pain peaked to the point that she couldn't speak anymore. She squeezed her eyes shut as she stopped swaying as she wondered desperately when it would end.

"Lina?" Gourry asked, trying to keep the alarm from his voice. When she didn't answer he called for Sylphiel.

The pain subsided as soon as she entered. "I'm all right." Lina said as she caught her breath, breaking away from Gourry to sit on the bed. "That was just a strong one."

"Is that normal?" Gourry asked.

Sylphiel smiled, "It probably means you're moving into active labor."

"So in other words I can expect more like it?"

Sylphiel put an arm around her and gave her a side hug. "Why don't I draw a bath for you? It helps."

"I'm willing to try anything!" Lina exclaimed.

By that afternoon Lina was thanking her lucky stars she had insisted on traveling to Seyruun so Sylphiel could be her midwife. Lina wasn't sure what it was exactly, but being in the water helped. She was convinced that it was the one thing that made it endurable.

Gourry was sitting just outside the tub, holding her hand and talking with her between contractions, and offering words of support and encouragement while she was going through one. She had just finished having one when Sylphiel walked in with some water and jello. "Are you up for a little food?"

"I'll take some water." Lina muttered.

Sylphiel handed her the cup and left the plate of jello by the tub in case she changed her mind. "Lunch has been brought up and is in the living room, Mr. Gourry."

"It's lunch time?" Lina shrieked as she sat up a little straighter, "And this thing still isn't out?"

Gourry looked at Sylphiel worriedly. Sylphiel remained calm as she patted Lina's knee, "These things take time."

"These things take time." Lina spat back mockingly as she fought back tears, "Just go already and eat your lunch, both of you!"

Gourry opened his mouth to say something but Sylphiel put a hand on his arm and led him outside. "Don't take it personally." She said once they were settled into the living room. "She's tired and all sorts of hormones are coursing through her. I'm surprised it took her this long to snap at us considering how short her temper is when she isn't in labor."

Gourry grabbed a drumstick and bit into it without his usual appetite. "I just feel so useless."

"Right now the best thing we can do for her is give her some space. She'll let us know when she needs us again." Sylphiel replied as she grabbed an apple and inspected it.

"That doesn't change the fact that I feel about as helpless as I did when Copy Rezo nearly killed her." He said through another bite of chicken.

"And you got through it." Sylphiel reminded him.

Gourry smiled, "Yeah. And the prize then was rather sweet. She survived."

"And this one will be sweeter still."

They both jumped as someone knocked on the door. Sylphiel exhaled, "Thank goodness, I think Amelia is finally back."

"Come in." Gourry said.

Sure enough, Amelia walked in, her cheeks flushed as though she had rushed to get there. "I'm not too late am I? It was harder to get away than I thought it would be!"

Sylphiel laughed a little, "I think Miss Lina would prefer that you were too late. She's in the bathroom, hard at work."

"While you two slack off and have lunch?" Amelia asked.

"She got a little upset when she realized it was the afternoon and the baby hadn't arrived."

"Oh, I see, she gave you the boot!" Amelia said as she grabbed a drumstick for herself. "Do you think she'll mind if I pop in there and give her an update?"

"You're welcome to try. At your own risk."

"Who is winning?" Gourry asked.

"Zefiria." Amelia replied.

"She'll definitely be glad to hear it."

"I'll see how she's doing then." Amelia said as she finished her chicken and set the bone down on an empty plate.

"Good luck!" Sylphiel called out.

Lina was leaning forward in the tub, eyes squeezed shut and hands wrapped tightly at the edges when Amelia walked in. Tears leaked from her eyes as she focused on her breathing. Amelia quietly sat down beside the tub and waited until her friend relaxed again. Eventually she slouched back and took a deep, grounding breath. "Every time I think that they can't get any more painful, another one comes that proves me wrong." Lina said, her voice drained of energy.

Amelia grabbed a washcloth and dipped it into the water and started to wipe her friend's brow. "It sounds horrible."

"It is!" Lina exclaimed, "And do you know what's worse?"

"What?"

"Usually when I'm in pain, someone or some monster is causing it, and I can turn around and hurt them right back and make them stop! But now it's my own body, and I can't do anything but let it happen and breathe through it!" Lina stopped herself then. She didn't want to voice how powerless she felt. "Can you help me out? The water is getting cold, and I'm getting tired of being in here."

"Of course." Amelia replied as she stood up and gave Lina a hand. "Zefiria is in the lead." She said casually as she handed her a towel.

Lina smiled as she wrapped it around herself, "That is good news. Was it an exciting match?"

Amelia put an arm around her for support as they walked into the bedroom and Lina grabbed one of Gourry's shirts and put it on. "It was too easy for Zefiria's champion if you ask me. No real drama about who will win."

"That's because you're rooting for Seyruun."

"Naturally!"

"Eh, I guess I'll forgive you. But only since Zefiria is winning. So, how…"

She was cut off by another contraction. Following nothing but her instinct that it would help, she knelt over the bed. Amelia moved to help support her, rubbing her back and saying a bit too cheerfully, "My sis liked this position when she was in labor. She spent most of her time in it. You're doing great! Come on, keep breathing…"

"Shut…up!" Lina finally managed to spit out, and Amelia complied, waiting quietly for it to pass.

"This sucks!" Lina spat when it finally did. "I'm tired of doing this! Hasn't it gone on long enough?"

"May be we should get Miss Sylphiel…"

"Sylphiel, get your ass in here!" Lina yelled at the top of her lungs.

Amelia back away a little. She remembered whenever Gracia would get to this point, and it was never pleasant. Sylphiel walked in calmly, Gourry following looking panic stricken as he knelt beside Lina.

"What is it?"

"Why isn't she out yet?" Lina demanded, "I've been at this for over a day now, why isn't it over?"

"I don't know…" Sylphiel began.

"It's my hips, isn't it? They're not big enough."

"No, that's not it at all, Miss Lina. It took me three days to have Uruk. Some labors take their time. Yours is one of them."

"Three days?" Lina groaned, "I don't think I can do that this long."

Sylphiel moved closer to Lina and put a hand on her back, "You're strong. You've done things no other human has done. You've slain Dark Lords that no human ever dreamed of defeating. You've channeled the power of the Dark Lord of all Dark Lords and lived to tell the tale. You've nearly died how many times and came back fighting. Ordinary women don't do those things, yet they have babies every day. You're stronger and more powerful than them, therefore I know you can do this."

Lina's eyes took a more determined look as she weighed Sylphiel's words. Then she felt silly with herself. Wasting away in self pity wouldn't get this baby delivered. "Okay, but is there anything I can do to speed this along?"

And so the day dragged on. Lina and Gourry took a walk, stopping every time Lina had a contraction so she could focus on it. Lina spent some time squatting during contractions with physical support from either Gourry, Amelia, or Sylphiel. She swore she went through Sylphiel's repertoire of birth positions, but as day turned to dusk she felt in her gut that the child would not arrive that night.

She eventually lay in bed on her side, her left leg supported by pillows. She was too tired to yell and scream. Gourry walked over to Sylphiel, and with a nervous glance at Lina asked quietly, "Is there anything you can do."

Sylphiel nodded, and walked over to Lina. "Do you mind if I check to see how much you've dilated?"

"I thought you said that was usually discouraging in slow labors." Lina replied, her voice devoid of its usual spark.

"It is."

Lina shook her head, not sure where Sylphiel was going with it but not really caring by that point, "Go ahead."

Sylphiel frowned as she checked her friend, "I hate to tell you this, but it's still going to be awhile."

Lina groaned. Gourry grabbed her hand and patted it. Sylphiel continued, "I think it might help if I put you under a light sleep spell. You're exhausted and I'm afraid you won't have any energy to push when it's time."

Lina gawked, "You can put me under a sleep spell? So you mean I could have slept through all this?"

"Labor isn't a precise science. You could have been slow to progress one moment and, faster than you can believe, read to deliver the next. It's a little risky so I usually don't advise it unless someone has been laboring as long as you have and still looks as though they have a long way to go."

"Risky?" Gourry asked.

Lina ignored him, "Do it!"

Sylphiel smiled comfortingly at Gourry, "Don't worry, it's only a light one. It won't hurt her or the baby."

Gourry looked torn. He didn't want Lina to suffer anymore, and he didn't want the sleep spell to make it worse. He looked at Lina and noted how tired and drained she looked. "Whatever she wants." He eventually said.

"Sleeping!" Sylphiel yelled, and Lina went limp. Gourry rubbed a hand along her arm, hoping that it would help.

"You should get some sleep too, Mr. Gourry. And you, Miss Amelia. I'll stay up to make sure everything stays okay."

"I can trade off with you in a few hours." Amelia said as she headed to the living room to sleep on the couch.

"Thanks." Sylphiel said as she settled into a comfortable chair and pulled out a book she had brought.

Gourry slowly settled beside Lina in bed and drifted off into a nervous, light sleep.

…..

Something wet was coursing down her legs. Lina's eyes flew open as panic seized her. Had she wet herself? Then she remembered the long hours she had spent in labor. Her water must have finally broken! Before she had time to look at the clock to see how much time had passed, a contraction hit her like a pile of bricks. The intensity of the previous ones didn't hold a candle to it and she screamed.

"Lina!" Gourry cried as he grabbed her hand. She held it so tightly he felt it would break.

Sylphiel said. "This is good."

"Good?" Gourry shot back as Amelia stormed in. "She's shivering."

"She's transitioning." Sylphiel replied. "Miss Amelia, you ought to break out the blankets now."

"Right!" Amelia replied, and off she raced to the bathroom.

Lina relaxed, "What the hell…"

"You're transitioning. It means you'll be pushing really soon. It's almost over." Sylphiel said reassuringly.

"Promise?"

Sylphiel smiled, "This is the worst part. I promise it will be over soon."

"It's so cold. Oh my…" she leaned over the bed suddenly and threw up.

Sylphiel took it in stride, "Well need a few more towels, and some cleaner!" she called out to Amelia.

"That's normal right?" Gourry asked.

"Quite."

"You didn't, when you had…oh dammit!"

Gourry rubbed her back with one hand while the other felt as though it was being crushed. He decided that Sylphiel had better be right when she said this would be over soon. Sylphiel and Amelia cleaned up the floor as Lina made it through another contraction.

The next ten minutes seemed to be some of the longest in Lina and Gourrys' lives. The contractions were coming hard and fast, and Lina barely had time to rest between them. Eventually she stopped shivering and Sylphiel proclaimed that it would not be long now and that when she felt the urge she should push.

Not trusting her legs to stand, Lina lay on her left side, with Gourry sitting on the bed beside her so she could see him. A sudden surge of energy ran through her, followed by a strong urge to push. Lina grunted and surrendered to it, relishing it slightly. Before the contractions had seemed like some overpowering force that she had to submit to. But now that she had to push there was something to do. Something that she could control. She felt as though she had regained her power and pushed with everything she had as Amelia supported her left leg and Sylphiel spoke words of encouragement.

Lina was on the homestretch, she could feel it in her bones. While she used to relish the time between contractions, now she was annoyed by it. She just wanted to push and push and get it over with and behind her.

Gourry held both of her hands, glad to see that Lina was rallying. She definitely had gained her momentum back. Gradually the worry and concern became replaced with pride in the woman he had chosen to marry. When Sylphiel finally announced that she could see the head his heart seemed to swell.

Lina sighed in relief. It wouldn't be long now. There was another contraction, and she suddenly felt a burning sensation as she was stretched further than she ever dreamed possible as the baby crowned. She screamed, and held Gourry's hands tighter. Finally she her nether regions went numb and she exhaled. Now that that unpleasantness was over she was ready to push despite not feeling the urge. She was that close and she just wanted it out! Therefore, Sylphiel's directive was rather unwelcome, "Breathe it out, do not push!"

"What do you mean do not push?" Lina spat back. "I have to get her out!"

"You'll tear." Sylphiel said as she applied counter pressure, "Just blow out one contraction, I promise."

"Dammit, Sylphiel, I…" yet Lina found herself blowing out through the next contraction, cursing Sylphiel in her mind the whole time as she did so. As soon as it past she opened her mouth and let a stream of expletives fly in Sylphiel's direction.

Sylphiel ignored her. "Miss Lina,"

"What?"

"You're good to push as much as you like now."

Lina snarled. Boy was she ever ready! When the next contraction hit she pushed with all she had. This time it was Gourry who squeezed her hands harder. "The head is out!" he said, his voice tinged with a hint of awe.

"That's it, Miss Lina, the hard part is over, it's all downhill from here!" Amelia exclaimed encouragingly.

"Thank goodness!" Lina muttered. Another contraction and she felt her child slide from her. A cry pierced the air, and for the first time that night it was not from Lina. Lina collapsed onto her back and closed her eyes as a great feeling of relief washed through her. "I did it!' she whispered.

Sylphiel put the baby on her stomach. "You were right, Miss Lina. It's a girl!"

"A future champion of justice is born!" Amelia added.

Lina opened her eyes and felt them well with tears as she stared at the tiny baby on her belly. A rush of love like nothing she had ever experienced coursed through her. Gourry slid an arm around her and kissed Lina's forehead. She looked up and found that tears were running down his cheeks as he reached out to touch his daughter.

Lina looked back down and watched in amazement as the baby crawled up her belly and to her breast. "Try to feed her." Sylphiel said encouragingly.

Lina barely had to try and do anything. The small baby seemed to instinctively find her breast and latched on, sucking eagerly. Lina felt tears erupt from her like a dam as she cradled her. All of the pain and agony of the previous days was forgiven.

Sylphiel smiled, "Amazing! It took me a full month to get the hang of feeding Uruk. You two seemed to know what to do instantly."

"Well, she is Miss Lina and Mr. Gourrys' daughter, of course she'd be born ready and knowing how to eat." Amelia said jovially.

Lina looked at Sylphiel, her eyes shining. She wanted to thank her. But the words wouldn't come. Rare were the times when she was too overwhelmed to speak. This was one of them. She was distracted by Gourry nuzzling his head against her neck. Like her, he seemed too wound up to speak.

Sylphiel and Amelia exchanged a tired glance and backed away a bit to give the new family their bonding time. There was still plenty to do, but it could wait.

….

"Here they are!" Amelia said perkily as she lead Zel, Phil, Rick, Gracia, and Charles into Lina and Gourrys' room.

"Took you long enough." Zel said teasingly to Lina.

"Yes, I decided to be stuck in labor for forty hours just to keep you in suspense." Lina said dryly.

It was hard to tell that just a few hours ago the room had been a torrent of chaos and frenzy as Lina had given birth. Sylphiel and Amelia had cleaned up the bedroom quite nicely. Once the placenta had been delivered, Sylphiel had cast a healing spell on Lina while Gourry bathed and dressed the baby. Lina had then taken a bath herself and donned a fresh set of pajamas and had washed, dried, and combed her hair. Now the room seemed a sea of calm and happiness.

"Can I hold her?" Gracia asked.

"Only if you promise not to break her." Lina replied as she handed the baby to her.

"What are you going to call her?" Phil asked.

Lina looked at Gourry, who smiled as he said, "Lucia. After my grandmother."

"A good name! I like it when people honor their ancestors in such a fashion." He said approvingly.

"Wow, she's beautiful, Lina." Gracia said, and then with wicked glint in her eye added, "She looks just like her Aunt Luna!"

Lina sat up straighter, panic in her eyes, "No she doesn't!"

Zel walked over to Gracia and examined Lucia closely. "Purple hair, can't tell about the eyes because you never see Luna's. It's hard to say for sure but I think Gracia is right. She does resemble Luna. It's a rather eerie resemblance actually."

"Zel!" Amelia said warningly.

Lina's eyebrow ticked as she gritted, "She does not look a thing like my sister!"

"Okay guys," Sylphiel cut in, "It's been a rough few days, let's lay off."

Phil took a long look at the newborn and said genuinely, "Well, my daughter is right about her being beautiful. Congrats!"

…..

Gourry couldn't stop grinning as he watched Lina feed Lucia after all of their guests had finally left. He couldn't begin to put into words how proud he was of his wife. Sylphiel might be right that women have babies every day, but that didn't make what she had just done any less incredible. He often felt in awe of Lina. He'd first felt it when she defeated Shabranigdo. And again when she had used the Ragna Blade against Gaav. He used to be surprised when she found a new way to amaze him. Now he just wondered when the next time would be.

And this time it was different. Before she awed him by defeating powerful monsters. Now she had brought a new life into the world. Life instead of destruction. And from someone with Lina's reputation, it was even more amazing.

Better still, the child was his. They were finally a family.

Lina looked up and saw him staring at her. "What?" she asked with a smile.

"Can't I just stare in amazement at the two women I love most in the world?" he asked as he slid in bed beside her.

"I guess." She said teasingly as she finished feeding Lucia, caressing her cheek as she did so. Her heart melted again as she yawned. Part of her still couldn't believe that she was actually here, despite all of the work she had put into bringing her there. "So you're happy it's a girl?"

"Delighted!" Gourry replied as Lucia drifted off to sleep.

Lina raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"Now that you have her you won't want to dress _me_ up all of the time!"

Lina laughed, "Come to think of it, I got the cutest gown that she'll look adorable in!"

He turned her face slightly so he could kiss her on the lips. When they pulled away Lina rubbed his arm. "Love you."

"Love you."

"I guess I should put her in the bassinet and we should get some rest." Lina said as she gazed at her sleeping daughter.

"In a little bit. I want to look at her for a little bit longer."

"Do you want to hold her?"

Gourry reached his hands out in response, and Lina handed Lucia over. Lina watched them silently for a moment. She'd never doubted that Gourry would be a good father. Yet watching him with their own child was overpowering. There were moments in life when you knew that you made the right decision, this was one of them.

"You don't think she looks like Sis, do you?" Lina asked.

Gourry smiled, "I think she looks like you!" he lied.

**Finis**.


End file.
